COLUIDENZIA
46. WHILE COMPARISOTS WITH UK GALANICS ARE DIFFICULT BECAUSE
FLUCTUATING ENCHANGE RATES, IT 10 OF INTEREST THAT HOWS KONG TENOGRAPHERS ARE PAID APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AS THEIR EQUIVALENTS IN THE U.K (SEE PARA.6 OF OUR LETTER OF 17TH NOVEMBER FOR DETAILS)
11. THREE OF THE FOUR STAFF ASSOCIATIONS, AFTER COMPREHENSIVE OFFICIAL SIDE STAFF SIDE CONSULTATIONS, RECOMMENDED TO THEIR MEMBERS ACCEPTANCE OF THE REPORTS OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE SECRETARIAL CLASS AND THE PAY INVESTIGATION UNIT. THE FOURTH STAFF ASSOCIATION, REPRESENTING SHORTHAND AUDIO TYPISTS, FIRST RECOMMENDED ACCEPTANCE, THEN CHANGEED ITS MIND,
12, HOWEVER, OF THE 331 SERVING SHORTHAND AUDIO TYPISTS WHO WERE ASKED WHETHER THEY ACCEPTED GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS, 197 DID WHILE 134 DID NOT. OF THE TOTAL OF 2,652 OFFICERS SERVING IN THE SECRETARIAL CLASS TODAY, ONLY 134 SHORTHAND AUDIO TYPISTS ARE THEREFORE IN DISPUTE OVER AN ISSUE (EQUAL PAY) WHICH IS COMMON TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE SECRETARIAL CLASS.
13. SUGGEST REPLY SHOULD COVER BRIEFLY FOLLOWING POINTS:
(A) THERE HAVE BEEN THREE INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENTS OF SECRETARIAL CLASS PAY SINCE THE EQUAL PAY SCHEME WAS FIRST ADOPTED
IN 1965.
B) ALL THREE HAVE FOUND THAT THE CLASS IS PAID FAIRLY IN RELATION TO PRIVATE SECTOR ANALOGUES AND CIVIL SERVICE COLLEAGUES, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S PAY POLICY (WHICH IS THE SAME AS THAT OF THE U.K, EXCEPT THAT IT IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE CURRENT U.K PAY PAUSE).
C) THE PRESENT PAY STRUCTURE HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE GREAT MAJORITY OF THE SECRETARIAL CLASS.
14. HOPE THE MATERIAL IN THE PRECEDING PARAGRAPHS WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO ENABLE YOU TO DEAL WITH ANY SUPPLEMENTARIES AND TO RESIST ANY PROPOSALS FOR YET ANOTHER INDEPENDENT ENQUIRY. MACLEHOSE
FILES
HK & GD
OLA
PS/LORD GOROMWY ROBERTS
MR.CORTAZZI MR.MURRAY MR. POSNETT
COPIES TO:
HONG KONG GOVI OFFICE
3 CONFIDENTIAL