Forced leave will cost $82 a month

Local enterprises in Beijing will have to pay their employees a minimum monthly wage of 560 yuan ($82), or 70 percent of the city's lowest pay scale, if they are "forced to go on leave" in the wake of the global financial crisis, according to a national regulation released yesterday.

Companies must also adequately compensate laid-off workers and clear all their dues, authorities said.

As per the regulation, jointly released by the ministries of human resources, finance and taxation, enterprises bearing the brunt of the crisis have to meet the conditions laid down by the government.