The minimum-wage guarantee system has so far been established in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities under the direct jurisdiction of the Central government in the country, except Tibet Autonomous Region, the other 30 provinces have all formulated and issued local minimum-wage standards according to its actual conditions. This is announced by Zhang Mingqi, secretary of the secretariat of All-China Federation of Trade Unions at the launching ceremony for the implementation propaganda week of the "minimum-wage regulations".

Hua Fuzhou, vice-minister of Labor and Social Security states at the launching ceremony that, if the employers' payment to the employees is lower than the minimum-wage standard, labor security departments will compel them to pay the wage retroactively owed to the employees within a definite time, and may also charge them with one or even five times of the owed wage to pay the labor's compensation, and make the law-breakers bear corresponding legal liabilities.

The minimum wage is the minimum payment for labor the employer should pay according to law on the premise that employee provide normal labor within legal limits of time or the working time agreed according to the labor contract within the framework of the law. The newly revised "minimum wage regulation" which began to come into force on March 1 has broadened the covering scope of the original "regulation". It has also put the employees of the private non-enterprises into the objects of the minimum-wage guarantee. And the insurance expenses paid by workers themselves and housing fund will be brought into the accounting factors in determining the minimum-wage standard according to the reform conditions of social security system and housing system. The hour-minimum-wage regulation adaptable to part-time employment is added to fit in with the needs of diversified employment forms. The normal adjustment system of minimum-wage standard has also been decided, and the scheme to adjust the minimum-wage standard at least once every two years is put forward.

By People's Daily Online