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The Legislation of Minimum Wage Can Improve the Living of the Lower Classes in Hong Kong

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The Legislation of Minimum Wage Can Improve the Living of the Lower Classes in Hong Kong
The legislation of minimum wage can improve the living of the lower classes in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of the richest Asian cities yet it also has the largest wealth disparity. 18% of its population is living below poverty line. About 1.26 million now live below poverty line. To protect the low-skilled labor rights, I totally agree “The legislation of minimum wage can improve the living of the lower classes in Hong Kong”.

Before the discussion, I would like to define “minimum wage” clearly. Hong Kong has introduced a minimum wage since 10th November, 2010. This means workers will now earn a minimum of HK$28 per hour. In this essay I will use “quality of life” as the standard to provide that the minimum wage can improve the living of the lower classes in Hong Kong.

Quality of life mean includes “material life” and “non-material life”. Material life refers to the level of satisfaction that is obtained by spending money. Non-material life refers to the level of satisfaction that is obtained not by spending money.

My first argument is that the lower classes can receive higher incomes after carry out the legislation of minimum wage. This is to say they can earn more money to face the inflation in Hong Kong. They can also have better material life. Furthermore, from economic perspective, the lower classes can spend more money on materials after the legislation. As a result, the level of society consumption can be increase. Ng Sdu King, a 62 years old street cleaner, is a best example. Before the legislation, she was working hard for eight hours a day. However, her salary was around $5000 a month. She has two daughters and one is still a student. Also, she does not want to rely on Social Security Assistance (SSA). Therefore, she faces high rents and inflation every mouth with her very low incomes. Luckily, she can receive around $224 a day after the legislation. And her life would be better than before.

My second argument is that

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