Rear Window | Minimum understanding

Severo Portela

Previously, we addressed in this column the local reading of the new normal. Each Secretary of MSAR Government simply manages their portfolio at the micro level. The Chief Executive and Central Government, ditto Liaison Office, take care of the guidelines to address the MSAR’s macro-management.
For instance, the next phase of development of the gaming sector, which considers policies like diversification, will benefit from the full cooperation of the Central Government. Yao Jian, deputy-director of the Liaison Office in Macau, in an interview with China News Service, was more than clear when he stated that diversification was to be promoted jointly by the Macau Government and the Liaison Office.
Meanwhile, Leong Vai Tak has his hands full with SMEs, the minimum wage, and regional cooperation with Zhongshan.
Believe it or not…there is no minimum wage in the Macau Special Administrative Region. Not even the modest goal to have legislation granting a standard benefit to cleaners and security personnel working in property management companies ran as a matter of urgency in the Legislative Assembly.  As a matter of fact, the AL passed the first reading of a minimum wage law back in July 2014. But then the law stumbled in never-ending discussions on the technical details of a piece of legislation that was to be redrafted into a universal minimum wage bill.
As usual, or rather, as déjà vu in the legislative house, lawmakers voiced serious concerns, reservations, reevaluation of all kind towards a law that had passed the first reading smoothly. Likewise the discussion on increases in property management fees, economic impact on SMEs, or overall inflationary pressure. Enough is enough, as technicalities are of an endless stock. The Secretary for Economy and Finance changed the game to one of plain policy: the government intends to introduce a minimum wage by 2018.
Whatever the arguments legislators may take to the table, Lionel Leong is not ready to compromise on the implementation of the minimum wage for cleaners and security guards this year, and on its inclusiveness to all workers by 2018. Both employers and worker representatives gave their general agreement to the policy target designed by the Secretary of Economy and Finance. Leong Vai Tak is open to meet workers’ and employers’ associations to exchange ideas on the implementation of the universal minimum wage, be it “immediately or gradually”.
Given the anachronistic void of a minimum wage, one could bet that the Legislative was ready to echo without much ado the Executive will to upgrade Macau’s status from a territory already lacking a comprehensive regulatory framework regarding trade unions. It will probably be a safe bet…but we could not feel a jot of enthusiasm from the AL president, Ho Iat Seng, and, more worrisome, indirectly-elected legislator Chan Chak Mo took upon himself the role of the unconvincing friend. “We don’t know how the economy will be in three years”. To level things, we should also consider the evaluation made by political heavyweight, Cheang Chi Keong, who gave it unusual hype: the implementation of the Minimum Wage represents a great step forward.
We do have to bear in mind that when we address this void as anachronistic, we would rather name it bizarre, since – and just to look across the Pearl River Delta – the universal minimum wage in Hong Kong only came into effect in May, 2011. Before that, there was, indeed, a fixed minimum wage for the very specific class of lowest-level unskilled worker, the foreign domestic helpers.
The history of the minimum wage is not a very old one, indeed. The saga began in New Zealand in the closing stages of 19th century, crossed over to Australia, years later, and London sent somebody to assess the experience. Poetically, or not, it was the report on New Zealand that led Winston Churchill to introduce the Trade Boards Act.