XN000022-1978-04-19 — Page 5

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 1978

CIVIL SERVICE DISPUTES NOT CAUSE FOR ALARM

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IT IS TRUE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN RATHER MORE DISPUTES IN THE CIVIL SERVICE LATELY THAN USED TO BE THE CASE, BUT THEY HAVE NOT NECESSARILY GROWN TO AN EXTENT WHICH SHOULD CAUSE ALARM.

MR. DEREK MACE, PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE BRANCH, SAID THIS TODAY (WEDNESDAY) DURING A LUNCHTIME TALK TO THE ROTARY CLUB OF HONG KONG ISLAND EAST.

MR. MACE SAID IT MUST BE REMEMBERED THAT THE CIVIL SERVICE HAD GROWN SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND NOW REPRESENTED ABOUT SIX PER CENT OF THE EMPLOYED POPULATION OF HONG KONG.

+SIXTEEN DISPUTES IN THE PAST YEAR OR SO HAVE BEEN QUOTED RECENTLY, BUT THEY MUST BE SEEN IN THIS CONTEXT,+ MR. MACE SAID. +INEVITABLY, A CAREFUL ANALYSIS SUGGESTS A COMPLEX VARIETY OF CONTRIBUTORY CAUSES AND IT IS ALL TOO EASY TO JUMP TO THE CONCLUSION THAT POOR OR INADEQUATE MANAGEMENT IS THE PRINCIPLE ONE.

+MY OWN, AND EMPHASISE VERY PERSONAL, ASSESSMENT IS THAT, APART FROM A GENERAL WORLDWIDE TREND TOWARDS INSTABILITY WHICH HAS AFFECTED LABOUR RELATIONS LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, THE SHEER SIZE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE AND THE UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS UPON WHICH EMPLOY- MENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR ARE BASED MUST LEAD TO RATHER MORE DISPUTES AND OF A DIFFERENT TYPE THAN ARE LIKELY TO OCCUR IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

+THE VAST MAJORITY OF BUSINESSES IN HONG KONG ARE RELATIVELY SMALL IN SCALE AND THERE ARE NOT THE SAME PROBLEMS OF COMMUNICATION WHICH COULD SO EASILY ARISE IN A LARGER ORGANISATION.

+AND INCIDENTALLY, HOW ENVY THE SMALL BUSINESS WHICH DOES NOT HAVE TO OPERATE ON THE BASIS OF EVERYONE KNOWING PRECISELY HOW MUCH EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ORGANISATION IS GETTING UP TO AND INCLUDING THE MANAGING DIRECTOR.+

MR. MACE SAID A FURTHER DIFFERENCE WHICH MIGHT BE SIGNIFICANT WAS THAT THE BOSS+ IN THE CIVIL SERVICE WAS A MORE SENIOR OFFICER, BUT NECESSARILY AN EMPLOYEE JUST THE SAME. POSSIBLY HE LACKED THE AUTHORITY OR EVEN THE MOTIVATION TO REACT IN THE SAME WAY AS WOULD THE BUSINESSMAN.

THESE CONSIDERATIONS BROUGHT WITH THEM SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF FRONT LINE SUPERVISION AND MANAGEMENT WHICH, MR. MACE THOUGHT, WE ALL WOULD ACCEPT REQUIRED POSSIBLY GREATER ATTENTION THAN HAD BEEN GIVEN IN THE PAST.

HE ADDED: BUT I THINK A THIRD FACTOR IS OF EVEN GREATER SIGNIFICANCE. THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BUSINESS WORLD AND CIVIL SERVICE IN THE ESSENTIAL NATURE OF THE WORK CONTRACT.

+ALTHOUGH THERE IS CERTAINLY A HIGHER DEGREE OF MOBILITY IN AND OUT OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE THAN WAS ONCE THE CASE IT IS STILL VERY TRUE TO SAY THAT GOVERNMENT SERVICE IMPLIES A COMMITMENT TO A FULL CAREER IN MOST CASES.+

MR. MACE .......