布政司署
香港下亞
本署檔號 OUR REF.: SM 4/5/1
畢道
Enter
COLONIAL SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
HICK 430/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 5111th September 1980
2 3 SEP 1980
* YOur Ref.:
DESK OFFICER
Dear Morrice
INDEX
PA
REGISTRY Action Taken
- мо
£20.9 AN 26/
48
C.S. 41A
As Martín Rowlands is presently on leave, I am replying to your letter of 15th July 1980(in which you seek our comments on the points raised by the Hong Kong Civil Servants General Union in their letter of 9th July 1980 to the Secretary of State.
2.
First of all, I must apologize for not giving you a reply earlier. The Hong Kong Civil Servants General Union has written separately to His Excellency the Governor on 8th July 1980 making the same proposal, i.e. to set up an arbitration board to deal with disputes within the Civil Service. As this proposal is also made in the Union's letter to the secretary of State, I have delayed giving you a reply until we have answered the Union's letter to the Governor. This we have now done and a copy of the Union's letter together with our reply is enclosed. You will note that I have refrained from commenting directly on the Union's proposal to set up an arbitration board to deal with disputes within the Civil Service, although I have hinted that we are not really keen on the idea.
3.
We are unable to arrive at a firm view on the question of the need for arbitration machinery to deal with disputes within the Civil Service because we are awaiting the recommendations of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service in its forthcoming report on 'The Consultative Machinery in the Civil Service' which will be submitted to the Governor soon. We are, however given to understand that the Standing Commission is not in favour of setting up any new machinery for arbitration, nor does it consider it appropriate for the Commission to take on the role of "arbitrator" or "mediator" in cases of disputes within the Civil Service. Existing arrangements already allow the Commission to review its recommendations upon requests either from staff or from the Administration when new evidence is advanced or where circumstances have changed. Indeed, in drawing up its recommendations, the Commission always take into account views and representations from both staff and management. Given goodwill and trust, these arrangements should work to the interests of all concerned without the need for further arbitration machinery.
P. Morrice, Esq,
Hong Kong & General Department, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, London SW1A 2AH,
England.
/standing
The
71