Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Donald Tsang on Friday continued to defend his decision not to legislate on the controversial minimum- wage issue in his latest Policy Address.

Speaking on RTHK Friday, two days after presenting his Policy Address, Tsang said he did not want to see the issue dealt with in court as some legislators have said they would press ahead with plans to seek a judicial review after the government decided not to legislate for a minimum wage at the moment.

"It is a matter for the people to decide, not the courts," Tsang told a call-in radio show Friday morning. "I think we should try to solve this matter amicably, in the community."

"Fundamentally it is not even the legislature and the government. It is a matter for the people," he added, in response to what he called "a very strong union and labor voice" on minimum wage.

In Hong Kong, the arguments on minimum wage between the labor and the employers have lasted for many years but without consensus. The labor has always pressed ahead to legislate on minimum wage among the security and cleaners sectors in particular as soon as possible. But employers said in order to compete in a globalized economy, it is a remaining advantage for Hong Kong not to force employers to accept the deal via legislation.

"If this matter were pushed through the Legislative Council at the moment," Tsang said, "it would be a very, very bloody fight... there would be serious arguments over this, the community would be torn apart."

In his policy address, Tsang proposed to launch a Wage Protection Movement for workers in the security and cleaning sectors. He promised to legislate on the minimum-wages issues two years later if the movement fails and employers are not paying market rates.

Source: Xinhua