TNAG-0822-FCO40-1029-Policy-on-salaries-for-civil-servants-in-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 581

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SHORTHAND · AUDIO TYPISTS ASSOCIATION

As From:

White House Hotel, 12 Earls Court Square,

London, S. W. 5.

January 10, 1978.

On behalf of 400 shorthand-audio typists employed by the Government of Hong Kong, we have come to the U.K. to enlist support in our long camapign against unfair and discriminatory treatment.

We were excluded from the equal pay scheme introduced in the Hong Kong civil service during 1971.

The pretext given was that we had no male counterparts with which to be compared.

Then in the next year, our entitlement to full pay maternity leave was reduced to half

pay. More recently, in 1976, higher shorthand and typing speeds for those applying to become shorthand-audio typists were introduced So were the educational qualifications.

Over the past few years, our sister colleagues in other civil service grades have been advancing, quite rightly, in the equal pay scales. Relatively speaking, we have been

falling further and further behind.

Before

"} equal pay was introduced our incremental pay scale ranged from 525 - 980 Hong Kong dollars per month. To-day, this varies from HK 855 - 1,735.

In comparison, the pay of the female clerical officer 11 grade has advanced from HK % 389 - 980 to HK 855 - 2,080.

On top of this, our incremental pay scale has been extended from eight to 11 years.

There continues to be all too few real opportunities for shorthand-audio typists to gain promotion to higher grades.

Our pay scales, in general, compare unfavourably with those being operated by major private companies.

These events led to the foundation of the Hong Kong Government Shorthand-Audio Typists Association, as a registered trade union, at the beginning of last year.

G

Our new association petitioned the Governor, Sir Murray Maclehose, on February 13, 1977 without gaining any positive results.

We organised a work-to-rule between March 23 July 18 and launched an impressive poster campaign on April 11.

So, our struggle goes on

until justice is secured.

The total strength of the Hong Kong civil service stood at 108,385, including 23,459 women, on April 1, 1977.

CHEUNG LIU Choi-kam,

Chairman.

SO Choi-lin,

Vice-chairman.