From The Minister of State
Peter Blaker MP
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
1 December 1980
See HKK 4301, ©
G
Dear Dafydd,
1981
HKK 43011
REIVED IF RECAST: NO. 51 03 DEC 1980
ills
of 3,12 AW 3/12
SIA
Patrick Jenkin has passed to me your letter of 6 November on the Hong Kong Social Workers General Union (SWGU). You will appreciate that the matter they raise is primarily one for the Hong Kong Government but this Department is in touch with them and we are familiar with the SWGU demands. Some background may be of use.
First of all, it should be noted that the Hong Kong Government has no direct relationship with the social workers in the voluntary agencies, as these are private organisations. Most, but not all, of them receive Government assistance towards meeting the cost of specific activities which are considered worthy of support, but this does not bind the Hong Kong Government to maintain voluntary sector salaries at any particular level.
Nonetheless, the Hong Kong Government does accept the union's demand that where staff of voluntary agencies in receipt of Government subventions hold qualifications similar to those of their counterparts in Government service and do similar work, they should be remunerated on the same basis. However, the voluntary agencies are not organised on the same lines as the Government's Social Welfare Department and their functions are different. It is impracticable to impose a Government Department structure on so diverse a sector without very careful consideration, and this is the purpose of the current Welfare Class Review.
Finally, the SWGU is not, as their letter implies, representative of the voluntary sector. Its membership comprises no more than 10% of the workers involved in the Review. The Social Welfare Department therefore decided that the SWGU
Dafydd Elis Thomas MP
House of Commons
/should
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