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Taking this into account, the level of unionization in the civil service
still exceeds 35%, which is almost double that pertaining to the private
sector.
Fragmentation has been exacerbated where differing union political
affiliation, or the merger of several government departments, has left
small unions competing for the same members. Examples of the former can
be found in the Post Office. The latter case has occurred in the Housing
Department where there are two instances of competing grade associations.
The rapid formation of narrowly-based staff associations has
created a highly fragmented union structure within the civil service.
This has been accompanied by an increasingly militant attitude to the
formal structure of staff relations on the part of unious. These trends
cau only be understood in the context of cultural, political and socio-
economic changes associated with Hong Kong's post-war industrial growth.
Government Policy Changes in the Civil Service
One significant reason for the proliferation of unions was the
fundamental changes in staff relations policy following the 1971 Salary
Commission. These changes were the culmination of a series of historical
events. In 1957 the government gave unilateral undertaking to the
HKCCSA, SNEOA and AECSHK to consult then over any major decision affecting
However, questions of general salary levels etc.
conditions of service.
were still left largely in the hands of Commissions appointed every five
years or so. The 1965 Salaries Commission recommended the establishment of
a more permanent body to regularly assess pay, fringe benefits and other
conditions of service. This was ignored. The riots and strikes of 1967
which followed the cultural revolution in mainland China stimulated a new
agreement in 1963.
This agreement involved a government undertaking similar to 1957 and
the creation of the Senior Civil Service Council (SCSC) to permit formal
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