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Caroline, Vincent, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. Thank you for having me at your AGM
lunch, one of the major events on the calendar of the Retail
Management Association. The retail industry is one of the
major pillars of business in Hong Kong. As Chairman of
the Employers’ Federation of Hong Kong, an employers’
organisation representing employers’ interests, it is my honour
to be present on this special occasion to meet with so many
key players of the industry.
In the past year or so, the Employers’ Federation and the Retail
Management Association had a common goal to strive for to
minimise the negative effects arising from the implementation
of the Minimum Wage legislation. The Government, under
enormous political pressure, decided to introduce a statutory
minimum wage in Hong Kong. This is the first time that a
wage floor was set in Hong Kong for Hong Kong employees. To
safeguard employers’ interests, both of us have been working
closely to lobby the Government, the Legislators and the
Minimum Wage Commission to achieve a balanced outcome.
Last October, when the first statutory minimum wage level was
set, many employers, particularly those in the traditionally lower
paying industries voiced great disappointment and concern.
Most unfortunately, the calculation of wages as stipulated in the
Ordinance was ambiguous and resulted in the effective minimum
wage being in most cases much higher than HK$28 per hour
as determined, reaching 50% higher in some extreme cases.
According to the Government’s recent statistics, the average
employment earnings for full-time employees were increased by
an average of 7.6%. For the lowest paid group in particular, the
increase was as high as 12.5%.
Leveraging on the buoyant economy, Hong Kong employers
have managed to absorb the addi t ional cost through a
combination of lowered profit margins and some price action.
It is uncertain, however, whether these measures will be
sufficient if the global economy cannot recover soon. The
high inflation rate caused by escalating food prices and our
weak currency only makes the business environment even
more difficult. And, there is tremendous concern about the
negative impact the crisis in Europe will have on Hong Kong
and on the Mainland.
The subject of introducing a statutory minimum wage in
Hong Kong has been widely deliberated for more than 10
years, and the focus of debate has shifted from an economic
standpoint to a political consideration. Indeed, over the
past two decades, we have seen an increase in new laws, or
amendments to current legislation regulating the operation of
business. There are also escalating demands from unionists
for greater pay and increased benef its and sadly, some
express their views in a much more radical way than before.
Most if not all issues are being politicised. What used to be a
pure business decision is now a delicate process requiring due
care of the responses from opinion leaders, unions and even
the media. It is therefore, not surprising to hear comments
like “doing business is now more difficult”, “HK is losing its
competitiveness” everywhere business people gather.
Below is the speech by Mr. Y K Pang, SBS, JP, Chairman of the Employers' Federation of Hong Kong (English only):
以下是香港僱主聯合會主席彭耀佳先生
, SBS, JP
的講詞
(
只有英文版
)
：
10