-12.
part of local civil servants.
The lack of perceived prospects has meant that lower white collar
and technical groups, in particular, have sought to achieve, through collective
action, salary increments not generally available through individual promotion.
Internal comparisons are so strong that once one group has obtained an
additional increment to its salary scale (as the clerical officers did in
1976) this induces a plethora of counter-claims by groups who see the
successful claimants as an analogous occupation (in the 1976 case, personal
secretaries, typists and statistical clerks). The government's attempt, to
break down those historical relativities it has chosen not to recognise as
legitimate, has largely failed.
Protecting or improving occupational status in both social and economic:
terms has become a prime concern of staff unions since 1971. Various semi-
professional groups have tried to secure professional status or title
redefinition in the hope of obtaining a tighter control of employment and
additional remuneration. At the same time, professional and higher-paid
groups such as doctors, air traffic controllers, the judiciary, local town
plainers and executive grade officers have sought a completely separate salary
scale so their pay will not be tied down by internal relativities or parity bands.
Covernment encouragement legal impediments
The pressures outlined above are certainly not unique to the civil
service in liong Kong. Yet given-the-legal and political environment of Hong
Kong and the present structure of staff relations the splintering effect these
and other considerations may evoke has gone on largely unhibited. This is
clearly demonstrated by the double-edged nature of government encouragement
to trade unions. On the one hand, the government has not inhibited the
formation of new associations and has permitted officials to take time off for
their duties,-offered limited recognition and, (somerizes), office space. In
some cases, the operation of joint consultation at department level has also
acted as an inducement to organisation.. On the other hand, the unrepresentative
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