CO129-578-2 Revision of salaries for Government employees 4-11-1938 - 12-12-1939 — Page 74

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by me personally in connection with the Committee's report.

The Committee recommended a reversion to something much more

like the old scale, running up to the same nominal maximum

of £700, but without the right of free quarters and accordingly

with a reduction in pensionable emoluments. This was in exact

accordance with the treatment proposed for the masters and in subsidiary recommendations, e.g. for residential allowance

and salaries of senior mistresses and head-mistresses, the

Committee endeavoured to preserve a standard relationship with

the men's salaries.

I think the Committee's recommendations, which are

shown in detail on page 28 of their Report, have gone a good

way to meet the complaints. There are some of the mistresses

who demand recognition of the principle of equal pay for equal

work, but the Hong Kong Government could hardly be asked to

concede a principle which is firmly resisted by the United Kingdom

authorities, and the relationship between the men's and women's

salaries existing before 1936 has now been substantially

restored. The graduate mistresses have also a special grievance

of their own as they claim that non-graduates are not only

treated on the same terms but have an advantage because they

enter the service normally earlier and therefore have a better

chance of the senior posts. I have considered this carefully,

however, and do not feel able to make any differentiation between graduates and non-graduates: the assumption regarding chances of promotion does not accord with the facts.

As