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C
The
handsome salary increases to all the discipline services
generally, the Police fared worst in relative terms. Police have also had mounting difficulties in recruiting and retaining manpower.
4.
Recently the Police Associations have taken their
complaints more public. They have complained about delays in examining their case and are dissatisfied with their own
internal consultative mechanism. There have been numerous
articles in the press about the dispute and the Hong Kong
Government's response to it. I attach several recent articles on the subject.
5. We have consulted Hong Kong about how to respond to this
request. The Acting Governor's advice is attached. He
advises that the delegation should be received at no higher
than Head of Department level.
6.
I agree with this advice. We should not allow ourselves to get embroiled too closely in this dispute. While the
problems undoubtedly relate ultimately to worries about
1997, pay and conditions of service are entirely a matter
for the Hong Kong Government. The consultative machinery
also falls into this category. Nevertheless the situation could become considerably more serious. I suggest therefore
that Lord Caithness could meet the Civil Service
Associations when he is in Hong Kong and the Police could
make their views known to him then. It is in any case
normal practice for visiting FCO Ministers to see lobby groups on a variety of subjects.
There is a mine, field of
issues here which we shall need to discurs with the Munster
Bul. Zagree with the achan
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