TNAG-0092-FCO40-128-Ministry-of-Public-Buildings-and-Works-Future-of-locally-eng-1967 — Page 15

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MO 1347/1

7.

Transfer of Staff to Hong Kong Government

Note of a Meeting held on 18th January, 1967

Present:

Mr. Prentice Minister of Public Building and Works Mrs. Judith Hart - Minister of State, Commonwealth Office Mr. Reynolds Minister of Defence (Administration)

Sir Mark Tennant)

Mr. Stretton

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Ministry of Public Building and Works

Sir Arthur Galsworthy)

Mr. Carter

Mr. Dromgoole

Mr. Johnston

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Commonwealth Office

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Public Building and Works

Mr. Prentice said it had been agreed at the meeting of the Defence and Oversea Policy Committee on 19th December that represen- tation should be made to the Government of Hong Kong about the arrangements for the transfer of M.P.B.W. locally engaged staff to the Hong Kong Government when the latter took over responsibility for minor works and maintenance for the internal security forces in Hong Kong. The Governor's reply to these representations, in his signal No. 26 of 9th January, was totally unsatisfactory.

First,

the Hong Kong Government in taking over this work should take on the staff who were performing it and safeguard their

Some 922 M.P.B.W. existing seniority and conditions of service. staff were involved; over half of them had more than ten years' service and some between 20 and 30 years. It was quite inequitable to propose that these people should not be discharged with an appropriate gratuity and perhaps only two-thirds of them

The parallel engaged by the Hong Kong Government as new employees. with the dockyard closure was entirely false, because in that case the work ceased completely and in the present case the work was to go on.

Secondly, the Governor proposed that the directly employed building and civil engineering labour force should be disbanded, since the P.W.D. used contractors. Apart from the effect on the staff concerned, he thought it was unwise of the Governor to make this decision in advance of a detailed knowledge of the tasks involved. It was a matter of special concern, both to him and to the Secretary of State for Defence.

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/Thirdly,

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