OR CO
PEDIATE
LXBY 238938Z
CYPHER/CAT A
FM HONG KONG 230753Z
CONFIDENTIAL
DESKBY 230280Z
COMPTEENITAL
TO IMMEDIATE F.C.0 TELNO.92 OF 23 JANUARY 78,
INFO HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON.
X
YOUR TELNO.57: PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION.
HKK 430/1
2-70
ESK OF
EX
ESTRY
Taten
L/GT
1. YOU ARE AWARE OF BACKGROUND AS GIVEN IN LETTERS ENDING WITH THE ONE FROM BRIDGE TO STEWART DATED 17TH NOVEMBER 1977 AND OUR TELNO.1149 OF 16TH NOVEMBER 1977.
2. ON LORD BROCKWAY'S QUESTION, THE BASIC POINT IS THAT A POLICY OF EQUAL PAY WAS ADOPTED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IN 1965 AND ITS APPLICATION TO THE SECRETARIAL GRADES HAS BEEN REVIEWED THREE
TIMES BY INDEPENDENT BODIES.
3. FOR EXAMPLE, THE 1965 SALARIES COMMISSION UNDER SIR GORDON HADOW, WHICH RECOMMENDED THE INTRODUCTION OF EQUAL PAY, AT THE SAME TIME RECOMMENDED SALARY SCALES FOR THE EXCLUSIVELY FEMALE GRADES IN THE SECRETARIAL CLASS, WHICH THEY CONSIDERED TO BE THE APPROPRIATE RATE FOR THE JOB, UNLIKE THEIR FEMALE COLLEAGUES IN MIXED GRADES WHO WERE THEN PAID ONLY SEVENTY FIVE PERCENT OF THE MALE RATE. THIS POINT WAS CAREFULLY EXPLAINED TO STAFF ASSOCIATIONS
AT THE TIME.
4. IN 1971 ANOTHER INDEPENDENT SALARIES COMMISSION (UNDER SIR GEORGE MALLABY) LOOKED AGAIN AT THE EQUAL PAY SCHEME, WHICH WAS THEN IN COURSE OF INTRODUCTION BY SEVEN ANNUAL STAGES FROM 1969, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO ITS EFFECTS ON WOMEN OFFICERS IN THE SECRETARIAL CLASS. THE COMMISSION RECOMMENDED WHAT IT CONSIDERED TO BE APPROPRIATE REVISIONS TO THE SECRETARIAL CLASS PAY SCALES AND COMMENTED AS FOLLOWS:
CONFIDENTIAL ·
/"ALL THE GRADES
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