Our Ref.: SS/DSCC/M-3
Your Ref.:
紀律部隊評議會(買方)
一紀律人員評議會(員方)
Disciplined Services Consultative Council (Staff Side)
English Translation
The Rt. Hon. the Earl of Caithness,
Minister for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, U.K.
Room 139
Central Government Offices East Wing
Lower Albert Road
Hong Kong
Tel. No.: 810 2703
20 September 1990
Dear Lord Caithness,
Joint requests of four disciplined services
We are the representatives of eleven staff unions/associations from four disciplined services, namely the Fire Services Department, the Customs and Excise Department, the Immigration Department and the Correctional Services Department. We hope to express our views to you so that you can, during your visit to Hong Kong, have a clear picture of our contributions to Hong Kong, which we expect will meet with your recognition. Ever since Hong Kong entered the transition period, the Government and its authority have been challenged repeatedly. Under pressure, the Government seems to have lost its stand, such as giving prominence to the role of the police force in respect of public security and repeatingly emphasizing the need for the police force to take over the border duties from the British garrison and maintain the law and order of the city, not knowing that it is the police's due responsibility to discharge these two duties. The Government uses these excuses to boost their importance and exaggerate their contributions in order to enhance their social status. As for us, members of the four disciplined services, we have no inclination for exaggeration. We are working silently with all our heart and efforts to serve the people of Hong Kong and to continue to strive for the prosperity and stability of the community. We hope the British and Hong Kong Governments will recognise and attach importance to this down-to-earth spirit of ours.
In respect of remunerations, the police force have long been taking a large lead over us. Their benefits are also the envy of others. Yet they disregard the facts and put up a false front, saying that the "Rennie Report" is unfavourable to them and that the size of their pay increase was smaller than ours, while reality is that they have been enjoying far better remunerations than us so far. Further still, the Executive Council recently approved in a haste the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service, raising the pay of the police force in big scales, thus intensifying the already gross pay disparity among the various forces. This act of giving favouritism to the police force and ignoring the other disciplined services is annoying and generates serious divisive effects.
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