TO:
DRAFT
LETTER
CHUNG Wah-Leung, Esq., President,
Hong Kong Chinese Civil
Servants Association, HONG KONG.
Sir,
I am directed by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to refer to your Association's petition to Her Majesty The Queen dated 28 November, 1969, and to inform you that the points you have raised about equal pay for women have been given careful consideration.
The Secretary of State has noted that the Hong Kong Govern- ment announced in 1966 that its policy with regard to equal pay for women in the Public Service would be that where men and women were doing identical work, or similar work of virtually equal value, both should be paid the same salary, and that this policy would be implemented in accordance with a phased programme exten- ding over a reasonable period of time, not exceeding ten years. He has also noted that in October, 1969 the Hong Kong Government, with the agreement of the Staff Side of the Senior Civil Service Council, issued an Establishment Circular announcing the details of the first stage of a scheme providing for the introduction of equal pay for women in the Public Service by annual stages over the period from 1 April, 1969, to 1 April, 1975.
He understands that the Hong Kong Government has also given assurances to the Staff Side of the Senior Civil Service Council that any future decisions about equal pay for women serving in those grades which have been deferred from inclusion in the scheme will be implemented retrospectively from 1st April, 1969: that serving officers (men and women) will be permitted to proceed along their respective existing salary scales, if they so desire, when and if new salary scales differing from existing scales are introduced (although this does not necessarily mean that they will retain a right to existing salary scales on promotion to a higher grade): and that women serving on existing salary scales which
/eventually