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See 22
RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN ME MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS AND MR TOM PENDRY MP HELD AT THE REIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE ON WEDNESDAY, 18 JANUARY 1978 AT 3.30 PM
Present:
The Rt Hon The Lord Goronwy-Roberts
of Caernarvon and of Ogwen
Mr Thompson
Mr JL Jones
1.
Mr T Pendry MP
Mrs M Cheung
Miss V So
Mr J Bloom
Mr M Hegarty
Mr Pendry started by saying that, since the point at issue concerned the Shorthand nd Audio Typists Association of Hong Kong (SATA) he would suggest that Miss So should first put forward the Association's point of view. Miss So went through the SATA case emphasising the worsening relativity which her members had suffered in relation to other grades within the Hong Kong public service since the introduction of equal pay. She explained that the members had hoped that the 1976 restructuring of the secrera lal class would put right these anomalies but, in fact, the situation had been made worse. Entry qualifications to the shorthand and audio typists grade had been increased and, at the same time, the minimum point on the salary scale had been decreased. This situation had been aggravated by the worsening pronclion TOSP of the grade due to the decrease in the number of poor 2 secretaries within the public service, the grade to which ne- members would be promoted, together with the redundancies const personal secretaries consequent upon the reduction in size s their grade.
2. All of these factors had led to disaffection and increased staff turnover. SATA had had consultations with the Hong Goverment but had been unable to reach agreement. They h there ore, petitioned the Governor, who had replied that he not feel able to intervene. Subsequently, the Association organised a work to mile but thi had been unsuccessful bere the Government had been able to rinimise its effects by u staff from the other two secretarial grades who were not rap te.
3.
·
3 a
Miss So claimed that in a press statement in 1977, the Secretary for the Civil Service had said that, if SATA could provide evidence that outside employers were paying more, their case would be re-examined. The Association therefore commissioned a put ray by the Hong Kong Productivity Centre, the results of which supported their claim but were not accepted by the Hong Kong Government. The Government relied for et comparisons OL > survey comied out by the Pay Investigati、. Unit but the Assoc expressed reserve about this survey since they claimed to bavo found discrepancies in the resulag
/4 In October 1977)
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