14
126.
Miss V. So then asked according to Mr. Broadbridge's professional opinion, what would he say about which report is more accurate. Before he answered this question, she would like to point out that in the Pay Investigation Unit report, each pay level represented by one company only. At the same time, she said that the Staff Side had no objection to the method of calculating the median point but they considered the aforesaid method suitable in the overseas countries. In foreign countries, say, in U.K.' or U.S.A., the workers are being controlled by such labour organizations and the pay paid by each company would not vary very much and so in calculating the median point, it would be accurate but in the case of Hong Kong, there are no labour organizations to control wages, so there are a great difference between one pay level to the other and therefore she had doubts on the median point being so calculated.
127.
Hiss V. So also referred to the figures produced in the Pay Investi-. gation Unit report and she thought that there were extreme figures, say, some were too large and some were too small. Even if the Official Side used the method of everage the result was favourable to the Staff Side, the Staff Side would not like it because the figures were unjustified and the differences between each pay level were irregular and also the differences were too large. She then asked according to lir. Broadbridge's professional opinion regardless of his status, which report was more accurate just from the figures,
128.
Ir. K. Broadbridge answered that he had no doubt to say that the Pay Investigation Unit is much more accurate. He had no doubts that the Pay Investigation Unit gets accurate information. Following procedures they had. agreed them in detail, a careful analysis of duties and responsibilities. The Official Side could not rely on the job descriptions set by the International Labour Organization. What he thought was the precise information on the difference between Typists, Stenographers and Personal Secretaries and so on, so that in many companies' pay structure they could make very careful job comparisons. If there were doubts, the Pay Investigation Unit made no comparison at all. He was not saying that the Productivity Centre report is useless but it only indicated certain costs trend of costs of labour. Coming to the said points mentioned before, the Fay Investigation Unit had taken into account the difference of conditions of service, pension scheme, highly subsidized medical service but the Pay Investigation Unit did not take into account of 13 months' pay. On these aspects and 12 different conditions of service, the Pay Investigation Unit had discussed in detail with the (Staff Side of Senior Civil Service Council). He personally thought that was very fair. In doing the Fay Investigation Unit survey, the Official Side sent out' very experienced senior officers who had common sense. They knew what sort of information required. In so saying, he thought that the Productivity Centre is useful in a way in trends of labour. Also, in U.K. wages, the Shorthand/Audio Typist Class, the difference of pay level is as large as that in Hong Kong. Median is the proper way of calculation. The Pay Investigation Unit affects the whole Civil Service.
129.
Miss V. So repeated the question again, according to his professional opinion regardless of his status and as a third party position and also ignored who did the report, just from the figures, which one did he think more accurate.
130.
Mr. K. Broadbridge said he had no doubts whatever in saying that the Pay Investigation Unit report is more accurate. Bearing in mind the report was produced to study the ranks of Secretarial Class.
131.
The Chairman proposed to adjourn the meeting and arranged another one on next Monday.
/132.