23 wage breaches reported

May 17, 2011

The Labour Department is investigating 23 claims from workers that their wage is below the statutory minimum.
 
Secretary for Labour & Welfare Matthew Cheung told legislators today the department has so far conducted 1,657 checks on wage cases. He said three cases were reported on the department’s complaint hotline 2815 2200, and were promptly dealt with.
 
The department's 2717 1771 hotline and its 10 branch offices have received an average of 1,000 enquiries per day in early May. The figure has now fallen to about 300, showing public awareness on the issue has grown.
 
Meanwhile, a wage calculator will be launched on the department's website by the end of this month to help workers check their pay.
 
About 3,500 vacancies will be advertised in an upcoming job fair to be held by the department. The median wage will be $9,000, illustrating the effect of the statutory minimum wage. The figure was only $7,900 in the previous large-scale job fair in March, before the minimum wage law was implemented.
 
The department now receives 3,000 job vacancies on average, reflecting the large number of employment opportunities available in the labour market, he said.