PAY ADJUSTMENT METHODOLOGY
6
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1
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1994
ON
EXISTING DEDUCTION UNDULY
LAU WAH-SUM AND MR THE
OF METHODOLOGY, AS MR QUESTION MCGREGOR HAVE POINTED OUT THERE HAS BEEN CRITICISM THAT THE MECHANISM FOR PAY ADJUSTMENT, PARTICULARLY THE INCREMENT FORMULA
IS TREND INDICATORS, USED IN CALCULATING THE PAY FAVOURABLE TO CIVIL SERVANTS AND IS INFLATIONARY.
BY AN
GOVERNMENT AND VALUE OF
WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, THE FORMULA WAS RECOMMENDED INDEPENDENT COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY AND ACCEPTED BY THE THIS COUNCIL, IN 1988. THE COMMITTEE CONSIDERED THAT THE INCREMENTS COULD NOT BE EQUATED EXACTLY WITH MERIT PAY BECAUSE THE TWO THINGS SERVE DIFFERENT PURPOSES.
THE
FROM A PRACTICAL POINT OF VIEW, A DEGREE OF DISCOUNTING OF VALUE OF INCREMENTS WAS ALSO CONSIDERED NECESSARY BECAUSE OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF CIVIL SERVANTS, CURRENTLY JUST OVER 50%, WHO HAD REACHED THE MAXIMUM POINT OF THEIR PAY SCALES. SINCE THESE STAFF ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR ANNUAL INCREMENTS, THEY WOULD ARGUE THAT THERE SHOULD NOT BE TO SO THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO SIDES INCREMENT DEDUCTION AT ALL. METHODOLOGY QUESTION.
THE
COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY
THE
EXISTING AND THE
A
THE AGAINST
BACKGROUND WHICH I HAVE OUTLINED POLICY,
ABOUT THE SO-CALLED SHORTFALL THE MISCONCEPTIONS DISPUTES OVER METHODOLOGY THE ADMINISTRATION DOES NOT AGREE THAT
STAFF OF INQUIRY SHOULD BE APPOINTED TO REVIEW THE COMMITTEE PAY CLAIMS. IT WOULD NOT BE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST, OR EVEN STAFF'S INTEREST, TO GO DOWN THAT ROAD. I CITE FIVE REASONS.
ONE,
ALREADY
TERMS
OF
SIDE'S IN THE
EXPLAINED THE EXISTING AS
THE 1968 FROM AGREEMENT SPECIFICALLY PRECLUDE MATTERS OF SETTLED PUBLIC POLICY CONSIDERATION BY A COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY. IT IS NOT IN DISPUTE THAT IT AN INDEPENDENT IS SETTLED PUBLIC POLICY THAT EACH PAY ADJUSTMENT IS EXERCISE. THERE IS THEREFORE NO QUESTION OF ANY SO-CALLED "SHORTFALL" IN PREVIOUS YEARS BEING MADE UP IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS.
THAT
PAY
то
SUPPORT
EXISTING TWO,
POLICY ON CIVIL SERVICE PAY AIMS FOR BROAD COMPARABILITY WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND, I BELIEVE, WE HAVE ACHIEVED
OBJECTIVE. THE MAJORITY OF CIVIL SERVANTS ARE CONTENT WITH ADJUSTMENTS IN RECENT YEARS AND STATISTICS SHOW THAT WE ARE
IS RECRUIT AND
THE PEOPLE WE WANT. RETAIN
NEITHER
THERE
COMMUNITY
FOR THE VIEW THAT CIVIL SERVANTS HAVE BEEN INADEQUATELY REMUNERATED OR UNFAIRLY TREATED.
THE
ABLE ANY
FOR
DETERMINING STANDING AND THE
OF FOR
THREE, THERE IS ALREADY AN ELABORATE PROCESS THE ANNUAL CIVIL SERVICE PAY ADJUSTMENT, INVOLVING THE COMMISSION, THE CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS, THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE. THERE ARE ADEQUATE CHANNELS FOR REPRESENTATION VIEWS TO ENABLE A BALANCED DECISION TO BE TAKEN, WITH DUE REGARD
A THE
OF BOTH CIVIL SERVANTS AND THE COMMUNITY AS INTERESTS ONCE A DECISION IS MADE, AFTER A LONG AND PAINSTAKING PROCESS, WE MUST STAND BY IT.
WHOLE.
/FOUR, A