Labor officials in China's southern province of Guangdong said Thursday they are investigating reports that fast-food chains like McDonald's and KFC pay their part-time workers less than the minimum wage of about $1 an hour. McDonald's and Yum Brands Inc. spokesmen in China responded by saying their companies abided by the law but were seeking clarification about regulations for part-time workers, especially for students. A spokesman for the Guangdong Provincial Labor and Social Security Department said officials were looking into reports from workers and local media that staff in the fast-food outlets were being paid up to 40 percent less than the local minimum wage.
See Elaine Kurtenbach, San Francisco Chronicle, March 28, 2007