Voices

Minimum wage hike needed to handle cost of living in capital

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-19 08:02

It has been reported that this year Beijing will raise its minimum wage, which is currently 800 yuan a month, by at least 10 percent to 880 yuan a month. What do city residents think about it?

I think the minimum wage should much more. It's hard to say exactly what it should be, but I think it should be in line with what the world standards of living are. Obviously the cost of living in Beijing is different to that of London or Los Angeles. It has to be comparative to the cost of things and everything has been going up. Everything. They're definitely going to have difficulty living in this city on that.

I'm from Australia where there is a minimum wage. People are able to survive, buy apartments and afford food. I think the minimum wage should provide these things.

Christopher Neil, graphic company director, Australia

 

I'm surprised about the low wages in Beijing and also in Shanghai and Jiangsu. As I see it, most of the people in China are very hard working even for such a low wage. And even if they get free accommodation and free meals, I guess they have to work more than 60 hours per week.

To my mind, these workers deserve higher wages. In Germany, there are also some people with low income, but they get additional social payments.

Thomas Trommler, consulting company director, Germany

 

It's not nearly enough as far as I'm concerned. But I guess that because China still relies heavily on low wages, it would have to consider the consequences of raising wages. Prices of apartments have been going up and so has the price of food. I guess wages should go up as well. I am not sure how someone working 40 hours a week on that can even properly afford an apartment.

Andrew Livingstone, journalist, New Zealand

 

The salary paid to workers from other provinces is just too low. I'm from Shaanxi province and our salary is only 900 yuan base wage plus 300 premiums. If you don't do a good job, the premiums will be cut. And the money doesn't include food and lodging; I have to pay the rent myself. The boss mentioned a pay raise in March during the "Two Sessions", but it hasn't happened yet.

Cheng Xueshan, street sweeper

 

It's the local government's job to consider whether or not to raise people's wages, but I think the minimum salary in Beijing should at least be the same as that in Shanghai, which is more than 1,000 yuan. My pension increased only 100 yuan over the past two years. It's really necessary to raise the wages of ordinary people otherwise the income gap between the rich and the poor is just too big.

Li Shiwei, retired worker

 

Shanghai pays higher but I'm in Beijing now and can't just fly there! There's nothing I can do about the salary, but I think the minimum wage should be raised. The living cost in Beijing is just too high, basic daily necessities such as vegetables and fruit are so expensive!

Wang Li, hotel cook

Interviews by Huang Yuli and Todd Balazovic