3
Shorthand-Audio Typist grade contained no male counterpart. Moreover, in 1972, the Shorthand-Audio Typists had to sacrifice full-pay maternity leave in exchange for half-pay maternity leave. The benefit of marriage gratuity was also forfeited.
8.
Owing to the aforementioned, the Shorthand-Audio Typists have
been progressively losing out in comparison with their sisters in other grades who have been generally catching up with their male counterparts in Equal Pay scales (e.g. by 1976, entry point for Clerical Officer II (female) was lifted to $855 with maximum at $2,080.00, while the salary scale for Shorthand-Audio Typist remained at $920 - $1,515 - one significant proof whereby the well- being of the Shorthand-Audio Typist grade was ignored..
9.
Subsequent to the 1976 restructuring of Secretarial Class, the salary scale of Personal Secretaries was lifted from $1405-$2440 (Personal Secretary II) and from #2580-$3000 (Personal Secretary 1) to $1850-2720 because the ranks I and II in the Personal Secretary grade have since been combined. The entry salary point of Shorthand-Audio Typist was unreasonably pushed down by one point to $855 on the ground that the minimum academic requirement has been reduced from 5 subjects to 3 which are English Language, Chinese Language and Mathematics at Grade E or above, in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education. In fact, it is more difficult in attaining the three specified subjects at Grade E than obtaining any five subjects at lower grades. In other words, the new requirement is actually a raise of entry qualification. Besides, the shorthand and typing speeds are also increased from 70 w.p.m./ 40 w.p.m. to 80 w.p.m./50 w.p.m. respectively.
10.
Promotion Prospects
The grade was created in 1965 for a three-fold purpose, to wit, 1) it should afford a promotion grade for competent copy-typists;
it should serve as a training grade for potential peronal secretaries and (c) it must provide a career salary for the Shorthand-Audio Typists who could not qualify for further advancement.
11.
According to the Details of Post of Stenographers, promotion prospects are normally NIL, however, stenographers may be considered, only exceptionally, for appointment to Supervisors of Typing Services or Personal Secretaries.
12. As a consequence of the recent restructuring, a total of 121 personal secretaries have become redundant. Majority of officers in this grade are very young. At present, over a hundred Shorthand-Audio Typists are fully qualified for promotion to Fersonal Secretary and, as the Association sees it, very few vacancies will exist in the Personal Secretary grade in the next ten years or so and therefore opportunity for promotion to the Personal Secretary grade is rare and remote.
13.
The newly established grade known as Supervisors of Typing Services which is claimed to be a promotion outlet for the secretarial class, is in fact a self-destructive struggle among the Personal Secretary, Shorthand-Audio Typist and Senior Typist grades. The total number of Supervisor of Typing Services vacancies is 70 which is only 8.6% of the total
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