AL likely to pass bill on minimum wage by year-end

Ho Iat Seng

Lawmakers are likely to pass the second reading of the minimum wage bill toward the end of this year, according to the Legislative Assembly (AL) president Ho Iat Seng. Speaking on the sidelines of an AL media Spring lunch held yesterday, Mr Ho acknowledged that the minimum wage for cleaners and security guards employed by property management companies might only come into effect at the beginning of 2016.
He told reporters that lawmakers will most likely go to a discussion and vote on the minimum wage bill, which passed its first reading last July, by the end of 2015. Mr Ho added that they are planning to have the minimum wage implemented by the beginning of 2016, as the bill only comes into force 180 days after approval.
On Monday, the government announced it would be putting the minimum wage in place in other labor sectors within three years. The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong, stated that once the minimum wage has been applied to cleaners and security guards working for property management companies, they will aim to “implement it universally.”
The indirectly elected Lawmaker Chan Chak Mo said yesterday, “If this is the government’s will, we will support it.” However, he questioned whether three years is an adequate timeframe in which to draft and discuss the legislation. “We don’t know three years from now how Macau’s economy will be performing, namely [we don’t know] how diversified Macau’s economy will be. Is it possible to have everything ready by then? If it’s the government’s intention we will be backing it,” he said.
Another indirectly elected legislator Cheang Chi Keong stated that implementing a universal minimum wage represents “a great step forward in the legislative process.”
The president of the AL also reiterated to reporters yesterday that the Legislative Assembly has always shown interest in citizens’ opinions and concerns.
Although the LGBT advocacy group Rainbow of Macau has complained of being unable to hold a meeting with the AL’s 1st Standing Committee, which is now discussing and evaluating the domestic violence bill, Mr Ho stated that lawmakers have always been willing to hear different opinions from various sections of Macau society.
However, he recalled that AL’s role rests in balancing society’s different interests. “We need to know exactly how we can respond to society’s expectations. Every lawmaker in each standing committee works from a legislator’s point of view and they try to understand what society thinks about each bill. We are conscious of our responsibility.”
Mr Ho also pledged to improve dialogue with the government in order to better prepare the legislative work.
Reviewing AL’s work over the current term, Mr Ho said 15 lawmakers have prepared spoken enquiries to be delivered in an AL plenary meeting scheduled for May.
Currently, 11 bills are still under discussion within AL’s three standing committees, some of which “are related to rather complex matters.” Mr Ho reiterated that “these [bills] refer to legislation requiring demanding legal expertise and that have also divided society; therefore [the bills] require a more detailed comparative analysis taking into consideration the interests of different parties, aiming at reaching a consensus favoring social harmony.”
These include the domestic violence and minimum wage bills, which have sparked greater discussion in society over the past few months.

Policy address: Gov’t should take economic outlook into account

Lawmakers have urged Macau’s government to take the current economic situation into account when drafting this year’s Policy Address. Legislator Chan Chak Mo said he expects “new ideas” from the government on how to address the consecutive decline of gaming revenue. “I think the government should focus more on the diversification of the industries, furthering [regional] cooperation and [on understanding] how it can add more elements or ideas to turn Macau into a leisure and tourism center,” he stressed.
Chief Executive Chui Sai On will deliver this year’s Policy Address on March 23.
Lawmaker Gabriel Tong also stated: “We need to prepare for a change in our society, as over the past ten years our economy has been growing, but things have changed now due to a decline in the casino revenues.”
“It doesn’t seem this will change in the near future, so we need to be prepared and make sure we have enough jobs for locals, [adjusted] foreign labor policies, and a social security system.”