The Commission on Strategic Development (CSD) will take up the issue of minimum wages and standard working hours if they are not resolved within the next few months, HK Chief Executive (CE) Donald Tsang said yesterday.

Speaking after meeting about 500 workers' representatives, Tsang said he hoped the Labor Advisory Committee would make a headway into the study of the issue.

The fixing of minimum wage and maximum working hours in Hong Kong has been persistently pursued by the labor sector and legislators representing them, and the CE has pledged to look into the matter seriously.

"I know representatives both of employers and employees have been actively discussing the issue. They have held four meetings since the end of last year, and I hope they could make substantial progress and arrive at a consensus in the next few months, Tsang said.

"But if by any chance they can't arrive at a consensus even after prolonged deliberation... I would be glad to take this matter to CSD for further study," he said.

Tsang told journalists that he had also talked to workers' representatives about the contracts of government employees who are not part of the civil service.

He said he had explained to them that the government was responsible for those employees, too. If the government intends to hire their services on a long-term basis, it will rationalize their terms of service so that they don't feel a sense of loss or instability, he said.

The CE promised to ask the Civil Service Bureau to find out a way to handle the contracts of such employees, whose number is in the thousands.

"If there's a long-term need (for their services), my inclination is to standardize, normalize and regularize their posts. If there's no such need, reasonable arrangements and timely and detailed explanations must be made to them," Tsang said.

Commenting on the consultation with representatives from the labor sector yesterday, Tsang described the dialogue as "very useful".

"The feeling was very cordial since I could hear the voice of labor. I hope such dialogues would continue and be maintained."

(China Daily HK Edition November 15, 2005)