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With the concerted efforts from various sectors in the community, 916 organisations have so far pledged to support the Wage Protection Movement for cleaning workers and security guards (WPM) launched by the Labour Department.
The department urged employers to take part proactively so that more workers could benefit.
The Assistant Commissioner for Labour (Policy Support and Strategic Planning), Mr Fong Ngai, said today (May 14) that according to the information provided by 777 participating entities, 13,900 cleaners and 11,400 security guards were being directly or indirectly employed by these organisations.
"Together with the 30,000 cleaning workers and security guards who have benefited under the wage requirement applicable to service contractors of government departments and public bodies, a total of 55,300 workers receive wage protection. This accounts for about 30% of our 190,000-strong cleaners and security guards," Mr Fong said.
"The Wage Protection Movement is a significant and strategic move in ensuring that cleaning workers and security guards are paid the average market wages through voluntary and non-legislative means," he said.
The 900-plus participating organisations included chambers of commerce, employer groups, owners' corporations (OCs), companies in property management/guarding services and cleaning services as well as entities from other trades. A list of these entities will be uploaded to the WPM dedicated website http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/service/protection/index.htm) today.
Last October, the Chief Executive announced in his Policy Address the launching of the Wage Protection Movement. Enterprises or organisations joining the movement undertake to offer their cleaning workers and security guards wages not lower than the relevant average market wage rates as published in the Census and Statistics Department's Quarterly Report of Wage and Payroll Statistics.
The participating entities should also enter into written employment contracts with these workers. They should suitably compensate the workers if the latter have to work beyond contractual hours.
"To tie in with the movement, the Labour Department has urged employers who want to use our free employment service in respect of vacancies for cleaning workers and security guards but offered wages lower than the average market rates to make suitable wage adjustments. As a result, the wages of about 1,900 such vacancies have been raised to the relevant average market rates in the past six months. The move has enabled more workers to receive wage protection.
"According to wage statistics for the past three years, the average wage rates for cleaning workers and security guards in Hong Kong have recorded an upward trend. The latest figures for December, 2006, showed that the average hourly and monthly wage rates for general cleaners were $24.40 and $5,073 respectively. As 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," he said.
In response to the views expressed by disabled people on the Wage Protection Movement, Mr Fong said the Government was aware that groups of people with disabilities had concern over the possible impact of the Wage Protection Movement on their employment opportunities. Against this background, the Labour Department would introduce a special arrangement.
"Those social welfare agencies and their subsidiaries operating subvented rehabilitation services recognised by the Social Welfare Department may be exempted from applying the Wage Protection Movement wage level for the hiring of workers with lower productivity owing to their disabilities in order to provide vocational rehabilitation services to them.
"This is a pragmatic measure in response to the concern raised by groups of people with disabilities with a view to minimising any possible impact arising from the implementation of the movement on these people who are receiving vocational rehabilitation services," he said.
The Labour Department will continue to promote the Wage Protection Movement through various means. These included organising exhibitions, promoting the movement at seminars for representatives of owners' corporations, and writing to business organisations to solicit their support.
"We urge different sectors of the community to join with the Government to make this worthy cause a success so that more workers can benefit," Mr Fong said.
Companies or owners' corporations wishing to participate in the Wage Protection Movement may contact the department's Wage protection Movement hotline on 2852 3815 during office hours.
Ends/Monday, May 14, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:01
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