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The Committee takes note of the information supplied by the Government in its report. It notes in particular the Government’s reference to a new Wages Council Order, issued under section 3(1) of the Wages Councils Act (Chapter 98), to cover workers in the security services. The Government also indicates that nine Wages Regulation Orders are currently in force fixing minimum rates of pay and other conditions of service for the wholesale and retail trades, road transport, printing trades, manufacturing trades, garment industry, hotel and catering, building and civil and electrical engineering, mining and quarrying, and sawmilling and logging. Noting that no copies of any revised Wages Regulation Orders have been received since 1997, the Committee requests the Government to specify in its next report the wage rates applicable to the above trades and to supply copies of the relevant instruments.

Article 5 of the Convention and Part V of the report form. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the existing Wages Regulation Orders set minimum wage levels for the unorganized sector which comprises about 30 per cent of the workforce and involves workers in the nine trades covered by wages councils. It also notes the Government’s statement that periodic wage increases are governed by movements in the cost-of-living adjustments. The Committee would be grateful if the Government could continue to provide up-to-date information concerning the effect given to the Convention in practice, including for instance extracts from labour inspection reports showing the number of infringements of the various Wages Regulation Orders currently in force, the total amount of wage arrears recovered and the sanctions imposed, available statistics on the evolution of minimum wage rates in recent years as compared to the evolution of the consumer price index in the same period, as well as any other particulars bearing on the functioning of the minimum wage fixing machinery.