Hong Kongers march for welfare protection

Thousands of people in Hong Kong marched yesterday, calling for better welfare protection as the city’s new minimum wage law goes into effect, according to media reports.Three marches organised by labour and political groups were set to take place as the city raises its minimum wage to HK$34.50 (US$4.50) an hour, the South China Morning Post reported.The groups say that the minimum wage is not enough to keep up with increased living costs, particularly rising housing rental prices.“We welcome the rise in the minimum wage, but the extent (of the increase) cannot meet the growing demands of workers,” said Hong Kong Federation of Trade Union lawmaker Ho Kai-ming during an RTHK radio programme yesterday, reported the Post.Ho called for the minimum wage to be reviewed annually to keep pace with inflation.Marchers from the transportation service and construction industries also called for standardsed work hours, demanding five-day work weeks and 17 public holidays a year, according to the newspaper report.They also called for the abolishment of a scheme that allows employers to pay severance fees using money they had put into the city’s mandatory pension and long-service schemes.