Chief Executive John Lee on Monday paid tribute to workers on Labour Day, thanking them for their hard work.

“I thank you all for working hard and making important contributions to the development and prosperity of the country and society,” he wrote on social media.

Lee said he has proposed a number of measures in his maiden policy address to improve labour rights, including a review on the mechanism to set a minimum wage which was raised to HK$40 an hour on Monday.

The CE also cited the passing of tougher laws on occupational safety and the announcement last Friday that the Mandatory Provident Fund offsetting mechanism will be abolished in two years.

He said his team will continue to have frank exchanges with employers and workers on labour issues, to facilitate the sharing of economic benefits with workers.

Chief Secretary Eric Chan also paid tribute to workers on Labour Day.

He wrote on social media that labour and management have worked together to help implement measures to boost employee protection.

Chan also noted that the unemployment rate in Hong Kong has been dropping.