Govt aims to close income gap with wage hike

 　　BEIJING, Feb.?9 (Xinhuanet) -- The government aims to raise its minimum wage at least 13 percent each year from 2011 to 2015, according to a national employment promotion¹ plan released on Wednesday.

　　China raised its minimum wage by an average of 12.5 percent annually² during the 2006-10 period, official figures showed.

　　The plan issued by the State Council stipulates³ that the minimum wage should be lifted to at least 40 percent of the average Chinese citizen's salary by 2015.

　　The proportion of the minimum wage to the average salary varies in different places, ranging from about 20 percent to 30 percent, according to Yang Yiyong, director of the social development research institute under the National Development and Reform Commission.

　　In Beijing, the minimum wage is 1,260 yuan ($200) a month, and in downtown Chongqing municipality, 870 yuan.

　　Liu Junsheng, a researcher with the labor⁴ and wage institute affiliated⁵ with the Ministry⁶ of Human Resources and Social Security, said a continuous rise of the minimum wage would most benefit low-income workers.

　　In many places, including more-developed coastal⁷ regions, many enterprises, especially small-and medium-sized ones, do not have a complete wage distribution system and still set workers' wages at a level meeting or slightly higher than the minimum standards, he said.

　　"The minimum wage increase of more than 13 percent each year will help increase the money in workers' pockets and will also be conducive⁸ to an elevation⁹ in the level of their social security," said Liu.

　　China's social security system ensures that the higher salary an employee earns, the more social security funds will be deducted¹⁰ from one's salary, meaning a higher pension after retirement¹¹. But there are upper limits that vary in different places.

　　According to the five-year wage plan, the country will continue and further reform its income distribution mechanism¹² and encourage enterprises to set up scheduled salary increases by promoting collective negotiation¹³ on wages.

　　The government plans to extend collective bargaining to cover 80 percent of corporate¹⁴ work units in the country by 2015. The figure was 50 percent at the end of 2010, according to Xinhua News Agency.

　　Liu Junsheng said most State-owned enterprises have their own mechanisms¹⁵ for awarding pay raises, but many small-and medium-sized firms still do not have trade unions, through which the country pushes enterprises to conduct collective bargaining.

　　For firms that employ no more than 10 workers, they could join local industrial associations and then they could sit down with industrial trade unions to negotiate on collective contracts, Liu said.

　　"Collective bargaining might be the most efficient way for workers to get a raise in pay," he said.

　　About 450,000 catering¹⁶ industry employees in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, would benefit from a collective contract signed by members of a local labor union and their employers in May last year, in which they would receive a monthly minimum salary that is 30 percent higher than the minimum wage paid in the city and they would enjoy at least a 9 percent increase in their wages within a year.

　　The employment promotion blueprint¹⁷ also promises to make adjustments to income distribution in some industries to close the income gap.

　　Yang Yiyong said the average income in the industry with the highest-paid workers is about seven times higher than that of the industry with the least paid. In the United States, the gap is about 3.5 times, he said.

　　The primary task in evening out the distribution of income is to ensure that low-income workers' wages increase faster, Yang said. An increase of only 13 percent is not enough for them to catch up with others because people in all classes will have their wages increased each year, he said.

　　"High-income workers in monopoly industries should have their wage increases awarded at a much slower pace. More financial and fiscal¹⁸ policies should favor small-and medium-sized enterprises to leave room for them to raise workers' salaries," he said.

　　The plan also aims to create 45 million jobs from 2011 to 2015 and keep the registered urban unemployment rate under 5 percent for the next five years.

1 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

2 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

3 stipulates   

n.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的名词复数 )；规定，明确要求v.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的第三人称单数 )；规定，明确要求

参考例句：

• The trade contract stipulates for the settlement of balances in RMB. 贸易合同规定余额以人民币结算。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The contract stipulates for the use of seasoned timber. 合同上订明用干透的木料。 来自辞典例句

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

8 conducive   

adj.有益的，有助的

参考例句：

• This is a more conducive atmosphere for studying.这样的氛围更有利于学习。
• Exercise is conducive to good health.体育锻炼有助于增强体质。

9 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

10 deducted   

v.扣除，减去( deduct的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cost of your uniform will be deducted from your wages. 制服费将从你的工资中扣除。
• The cost of the breakages will be deducted from your pay. 损坏东西的费用将从你的工资中扣除。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

12 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

13 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

14 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

15 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

17 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

18 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。