Minimum wage

WANG TONGXIN and Wang Hongli, members of the municipal committee of the CPPCC, have proposed that the minimum wage inside and outside the special economic zone (SEZ) be raised to more than 1,000 yuan (US$141) a month in three to five years. They said the present rates could no longer guarantee the most basic living standards of employees. The minimum wage of 750 yuan a month outside the SEZ was 42 percent lower than the minimum in Shanghai, the two political advisers said. The minimum wage inside the SEZ is 850 yuan a month.

‘Unisex’ toilets

ZHANG XIAOTING, a political adviser, suggested toilets that can be used by both men and women be built to solve the problems that female residents often face waiting longer periods to go to the toilet.

Although more public toilets have been built in the city in recent years, long queues of women waiting to use toilets can still be seen during public holidays and at weekends, Zhang said. He suggested that existing public toilets be renovated to “help improve the efficiency of public resources.”