The National Wage Council made its debut on August 6, with the task of studying and making suggestions to the Government on the regional minimum wage for 2014 during the remaining months of this year.

Speaking at a ceremony to launch the council in Hanoi on August 6, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh required the council’s staff to closely work with relevant ministries, branches and agencies to successfully fulfil the assigned tasks.

The council is set up under Decision 1055/QD-TTg dated July 3, 2013, in line with provisions of the 2012 Labour Code and Government Decree 49/2013/ND-CP issued on May 14, 2013.

Its main function is to advise the government on the regional minimum wage on an annual and periodic on the basis of scientific grounds and available data.

The council’s members include representatives from the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, and the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises.

Later in the day, the council convened its first session to decide on its working regulations and tasks.-VNA