SECRET
to represent locally entered employees. Regular consultation does, however, take place on an informal basis and they can make their views known either orally at periodical meetings or in writing.
ay
34. Pay reviews for both non-industrial..and industrial employees were completed at the end of 1968 which gave increases of approximately 8 per cent and 10 per cent respectively, with an effective date of 1st April 1968.
Terminal benefits
35. Revised scales of terminal gratuities were introduced from 1st April 1968, ranging from half month's pay for each year of reckonable service up to and including 10 years, to one and a half month's pay for each year of service for those who have over thirty years' service.
36. Representations have, from time to time, been made by the staff for the introduction of some form of pension scheme. It has not been found practicable to accede to their requests, mainly because of all local good employers only the Hong Kong Government had a scheme and partly because we have been generally diffident about the introduction of such schemes at overseas stations, where the long-term future can rarely be certain.
37. If approached about this, S of S should be non- committal. He might say that he knows that the subject has been looked at on previous occasions and that we can always give fresh consideration to it.
Medical Benefits Scheme
38. A voluntary, contributory scheme which provides for free medical treatment in service hospitals is now in operation. All locally entered civilians of UK Government Departments are eligible to participate.
CHINESE LANGUAGE SCHOOL
30. A note on the Services Chinese Language School in Hong Kong is at Annex G.