19
Some submissions suggested that over the years there has been little or no rise in the real value of Directorate salaries, and there was a reference to the increase in per capita gross domestic product as a truer measure of increasing wealth. This is an area where there are many different views, and we come back to the well tried approach of having regard to what is happending in the private sector. This has, on the occasion of our overall reviews, achieved a broad restoration of relativities with the private sector. We do of course accept that recent increases in rates of pay in the private sector have been conspicuous.
20
We again had the benefit of a survey by the Senior Partners of Messrs Price Waterhouse & Co and Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co and are satisfied that the information on private sector pay and fringe benefits provided to us in confidence is a fair and accurate reflection of overall current practice in the private sector at senior levels. In addition to this the Committee has taken note of current rates now provided for certain quasi-government posts and of recruitment and retention problems being encountered in Hong Kong. Whilst in overall statistical terms losses from the Directorate are not very significant, there are certain areas in the professional fields where wastage is a serious problem because of greater attractions in the private sector.
21
We have taken four main factors into account in arriving at appropriate levels of remuneration for the Directorate at the present time:-
(a)
trends in private sector Directorate pay since 1st April 1977, which was the base date of our last review;
(b)
the levels of private sector Directorate pay;
(c)
the need for the Government to be able to attract and retain men and women of high calibre;
22
(a) the significant increase in responsibility of most
Directorate posts;
We have also taken into account that since 1st April 1977 the Directorate has received, on the average, salary increases of less than 13%. These were interim increases, pending our present overall review and were considerably less than those awarded to staff paid from the Master Pay Scale and Model Scale 1.
23
There is one further matter to which we have given careful thought, namely whether to recommend now an award to the Directorate which would bring their salaries fully up to the levels we consider appropriate, or whether to recommend an initial award which would place them on a similar footing to the rest of the Civil Service. The point is that the existing salaries of the rest of the Civil Service are due for review shortly in the light of the current Pay Trend Survey.
7