XN000022-1994-04-22 — Page 11

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 1994

"THIS MEANS THAT NO TRANSFER TO LOCAL TERMS 18 ALLOWED TO TAKE AT LEAST UNTIL JULY 6 AND CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF OUR PACKAGE CAN THEREFORE NOT BE IMPLEMENTED, HE SAID,

PLACE

+

THE SPOKESMAN NOTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOW HAVE ΤΟ RECONSIDER WHAT COULD BE DONE TO REACH A SETTLEMENT.

"CERTAINLY IN THIS PROCESS WE SHALL CONSIDER VERY CAREFULLY STAFFS' VIEWS. MEANWHILE, WE WILL, AS PRACTICAL, TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENT, HE ADDED.

0

DIRECTOR REFLECTS STAFF CONCERN OVER LOCALISATION

COMMENTING ON THE RALLY OF TWO STAFF ASSOCIATIONS OF THE BUILDINGS DEPARTMENT AT THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES THIS (FRIDAY) EVENING, THE DIRECTOR OF BUILDINGS, MRS HELEN YU, URGED COLLEAGUES OF HER DEPARTMENT TO BE PATIENT AND TO CONTINUE TO SERVE THE PUBLIC WITH THEIR USIJAL PROFESSIONAL EFFICIENCY.

NOTING THE CONCERNS OF STAFF AND STAFF ASSOCIATIONS OVER THE APPLICATION TO THE BUILDINGS DEPARTMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT'S INTERIM MEASURE UNDER THE LOCALISATION POLICY, MRS YU SAID: "I CAN UNDERSTAND THE SENTIMENTS OF MY COLLEAGUES. I HAVE BEEN

IN DIALOGUE WITH

REGULARLY.

"MEANWHILE, I HAVE PERSONALLY

THEM

REFLECTED ALL THEIR REASONABLE

AND LEGITIMATE CONCERNS TO THE SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE.

RESOLVE

"CIVIL SERVICE BRANCH HAS BEEN MEETING WITH ME ΤΟ MATTERS: WE ARE ALL AWARE OF THE NEED FOR SETTLEMENT OF THESE DELICATE AND COMPLEX ISSUES AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE.

"MY COLLEAGUES KNOW THAT THEY CAN COME TO ME TO AIR THEIR VIEWS AND THAT I WILL TRY MY LEVEL BEST то WORK OUT WITH THEM POSITIVE SOLUTIONS," SHE ADDED.

CONSUMER PRICE INDICES FOR MARCH 1994

索

THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) LAST MONTH WAS 8:0% HIGHER THAN IN MARCH 1993, ACCORDING TO FIGURES RELEASED TODAY AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

(FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS

THE CORRESPONDING INCREASE IN THE CPI(A) WAS 7.8% IN THE SLIGHTLY FASTER INCREASE IN MARCH WAS MAINLY INFLUENCED PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES.

FEBRUARY.

BY

THE

TAKING THE FIRST THREE MONTHS TOGETHER, THE CPI(A) ROSE BY 7.3% OVER THE SAME PERIOD IN 1993. THIS WAS CONSIDERABLY LOWER AVERAGE INCREASE

THAN OF 8.5% RECORDED IN 1993 AND THE FORECAST

THE 8.5% FOR 1994 AS A WHOLE.

ALSO OF

/THE CPI(B)