General minimum wage regulated within 3 years

Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong clarified yesterday that a proposal for the implementation of a universal minimum wage will be ready within three years. Leong was speaking during the meeting of the third standing committee of the Legislative Assembly (AL).

“First we will do a review on the implementation of the law that established a minimum wage for the two professions [cleaning and security staff of buildings management],” Leong said. He added that the next step would be a “public consultation to hear many more voices from the public before the report from the Executive Council and the discussion at the AL.”

“Of course, the government is making efforts to implement this [law] within the next three years, but we must respect our mechanism,” Leong said. He said that after a law is presented to the AL, the lawmakers must also present their opinions and discuss the topic.

He added that the approval of such laws is largely in the hands of the lawmakers, which is why the government “cannot compromise itself with a date for the entry into force [of such a law].” Leong concluded that “if we state one date, this would be disrespectful to the AL.”

In regard to the recent reports of a significant decline in the number of licensed gaming junkets operating in Macau during the past year, Leong said, “We hope that the gaming sector can develop in a healthy and sustainable way.”

He added, “The fall in the number of junkets can have several reasons, like the government tightening regulations and guidelines for the junket  operations. I won’t deny that with the adjustments
in Macau economy that moved to other locations, but this also happened in the past with a movement in and out of the market.”

He concluded by saying that the government hopes to “improve also the junkets’ conditions so the gaming sector can develop. This change might be a positive factor in the healthy and sustainable development of the sector.” RM