XN000022-1983-01-20 — Page 6

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TURNING TO OVERALL STARTING SALARIES FOR GRADU. TL, SH NOTED THAT THE AVERAGE INCREASE BETWEEN 1976 AND 1952 LAS CER 17 PER CENT PER YEAR AND EVEN IN THE RECESSION YEAR OF 1982, IT WAS 15.4 PER CENT.

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HIGHER INCREASES WERE ALSO RECORDED IN SOME AREAS, HE ADDED.

+FOR EXAMPLE, PROFESSIONAL DIPLOMA HOLDERS RECEIVED IN 1982 SALARIES NEARLY 19 PER CENT HIGHER THAN THAT IN 1981 AND IN 1981 NEARLY 24 PER CENT MORE THAN THAT IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.+

SIR S.Y. WHO IS ALSO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE STANDING COMMISSION ON CIVIL SERVICE SALARIES AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE. TOLD THE GATHERING THAT THE GOVERNMENT OFFERS VERY GOOD SALARIES AND ATTRACTIVE CONDITIONS OF SERVICE TO ITS EMPLOYEES.

+EVIDENCE OBTAINED BY THE PAY INVESTIGATION UNIT IN GOVERNMENT INDICATES THAT CIVIL SERVICE STARTING SALARIES COMPARE FAVOURABLY WITH, AND IN SOME CASES ARE CONSIDERABLY HIGHER THAN, THOSE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR ON JOBS REQUIRING THE SAME QUALIFICATIONS, HE SAID.

+THERE IS ALSO EVIDENCE THAT THE VALUE OF FRINGE BENEFITS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE IS SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN THE VALUE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

+ INDEED, EXPRESSED AS A PERCENTAGE OF BASIC SALARY, CIVIL SERVICE FRINGE BENEFITS HAVE AT LEAST TWICE THE VALUE OF THE CORRESPONDING BENEFITS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.+

QUOTING STATISTICS, SIR S.Y. SAID THAT GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES ON THE MASTER PAY SCALE HAD THEIR SALARIES DOUBLED IN THE PAST THREE YEARS. FOR EXAMPLE, HE CITED A FRESH POLYTECHNIC DIPLOMA GRADUATE WHO JOINED THE GOVERNMENT IN APRIL 1979 AT POINT 14 ON THE MASTER PAY SCALE OR $2 060 PER MONTH WAS THREE YEARS LATER GETTING MPS 17 OR $4 165 PER MONTH IN APRIL 1982.

SIMILARLY, A HIGHER DIPLOMA GRADUATE'S SALARY WOULD HAVE INCREASED FROM MPS 17 OR $2 465 IN APRIL 1979 TO MPS 20 OR $4 870 PER MONTH IN APRIL 1982.

HE CALLED ON STUDENTS OF BOTH THE POLYTECHNIC AND THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES TO VISIT THE CAREERS EXHIBITION AND TO SEEK MORE INFORMATION NOT ONLY ABOUT THE NATURE AND REMUNERATION OF THE JOB ITSELF, BUT ALSO ABOUT SUCH MATTERS AS THE ORGANISATION OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT, THE CAREER FROSPECTS AND THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE EMPLOYER.

THE TWO-DAY EXHIBITION IS JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S CIVIL SERVICE BRANCH AND THE POLYTECHNIC'S STUDENT AFFAIRS UNIT.

TWENTY-SIX GOVERNMET DEPARTMENTS ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE EXHIBITION WHICH WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC BETWEEN 10 AM AND 6.30 PM DAILY.

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