XN000022-1994-01-12 — Page 25

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1994

MOTION DEBATE ON CIVIL SERVICE INQUIRY

**

BY

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE SPEECH SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE, MR STUART HARBINSON, IN DEBATE ON THE SETTING UP OF AN INDEPENDENT COMMITTEE OF RESOLVE THE CIVIL SERVANT DISPUTES OVER LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TONIGHT:

WAGE CLAIMS

THE ACTING THE MOTION INQUIRY ΤΟ IN THE

MADAM DEPUTY,

REASONABLE

THAN ΤΟ REACHED AND

ON THE FACE OF IT, WHAT COULD BE MORE

THIS MOTION? WHERE TWO PARTIES TO A DISPUTE HAVE

DEADLOCK, SURELY THE OBVIOUS WAY FORWARD IS MEDIATION

A NUMBER OF MEMBERS HAVE SPOKEN IN THIS VEIN.

SUPPORT APPARENT COMPROMISE.

WHY THEN DOES THE GOVERNMENT NOT SIMPLY YIELD TO THE PRESSURE? AFTER ALL, A COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY WOULD GET THE GOVERNMENT OFF THE HOOK AS WELL.

IN

DEALING WITH THESE POINTS, I HOPE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOT ANYWHERE NEAR AS CLEAR CUT AS IT SEEMS AT FIRST SIGHT. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT MOTIVATED, AS SOME HAVE PORTRAYED, BY SHEER PARSIMONY OR BLOODY-MINDEDNESS. WE ARE NOT BENT ON CONFRONTATION PERPETUATING A DISPUTE. WE ARE NOT CONSPIRING WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO SUPPRESS WAGES.

ON THE CONTRARY, WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON BEING A VERY GOOD EMPLOYER, A FACT WHICH IS RECOGNISED BY THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF CIVIL SERVANTS. WE ARE GUIDED BY A STRONG SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY, TO BOTH OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. WE WANT ΤΟ PRESERVE A SYSTEM FOR DEALING WITH CIVIL SERVICE PAY WHICH, THOUGH NO DOUBT NOT PERFECT, HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME AND GIVEN US REAL STABILITY. LET ME, FOR A START, REFRESH MEMBERS' MEMORIES AS TO WHAT THIS SYSTEM IS.

EXISTING POLICY

EXISTING POLICY ON CIVIL SERVICE PAY PROVIDES THAT :

(A)

FIRST, THERE SHOULD BE BROAD PRIVATE SECTOR;

(B)

(C)

COMPARABILITY

WITH THE

SECONDLY, IN DETERMINING EACH YEAR'S PAY ADJUSTMENT, THE PRIVATE SECTOR PAY TREND INDICATORS SHOULD BE USED AS A REFERENCE POINT. BUT OTHER RELEVANT FACTORS, SUCH AS THE ECONOMIC SITUATION IN HONG KONG, ANY BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS, THE STAFF SIDE'S PAY CLAIMS AND PUBLIC REACTIONS, MUST ALSO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT;

THIRDLY, EACH PAY ADJUSTMENT IS AN INDEPENDENT EXERCISE DETERMINED ON THE BASIS OF THE PREVAILING CIRCUMSTANCES AT THE TIME, WITH NO PLUSES OR MINUSES BEING CARRIED FORWARD FROM ONE YEAR TO ANOTHER.

THE ADMINISTRATION HAS CONSISTENTLY AND FULLY COMPLIED WITH ESTABLISHED POLICY ON ALL THESE COUNTS.

/IT IS