A total of 916 organisations have pledged to support the Wage Protection Movement for cleaning workers and security guards launched by the Labour Department, Assistant Commissioner for Labour (Policy Support & Strategic Planning) Fong Ngai says.

The 900-plus participating organisations include chambers of commerce, employer groups, owners' corporations, property management companies, guard and cleaning services, as well as entities from other trades. A list of these has been uploaded to the Wage Protection Movement website.

According to the information provided by 777 participating entities, 13,900 cleaners and 11,400 security guards are employed by these organisations.

Together with the 30,000 cleaning workers and security guards employed by government departments and service contractors, 55,300 workers receive wage protection, accounting for 30% of the 190,000-strong cleaners and guards.

Wages raised

To tie in with the movement, the Labour Department urged employers who want to use employment services for cleaners and guard vacancies but offer wages lower than average market rates to make suitable pay adjustments, Mr Fong said.

As a result, the wages of about 1,900 vacancies have been raised to average market rates in the past six months.

According to statistics for the past three years, the average wage rates for cleaners and guards have recorded an upward trend. The figures for December showed that the average hourly and monthly wage rates for general cleaners were $24.40 and $5,073.

For security guards, the average hourly rate ranged from $23.70 to $30.50 while the average monthly rate varied from $6,343 to $6,941.

Special arrangement

Mr Fong said the Government is aware that disabled people have concerns over the movement's impact on their employment opportunities, so the Labour Department will introduce a special arrangement.

Welfare agencies and their subsidiaries operating subvented rehabilitation services recognised by the Social Welfare Department may be exempted from applying the wage level for the hiring of workers with lower productivity, owing to their disabilities, in order to provide vocational rehabilitation services to them.

He said this is a pragmatic measure to minimise any possible impact arising from the implementation of the movement on people who are receiving vocational rehabilitation services.