TNAG-0980-FCO40-1199-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-British-nationality-1980 — Page 134

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Senior local officers are made to feel that they are second class civil servants by reference to the inequality of treatment they receive as compared with their expatriate colleagues of equivalent seniority and even in lower grades. This discriminatory treatment manifests itself in:

(a)

(b)

(c)

Housing

Leave and passages

Allowances for education of their children

A more insidious form of discrimination suffered by local officers is in the inequality of our prospects of promotion as compared with expatriate officers. In the first place the Establishment Officer does not acknowledge that a natural corollary to any declared aim of localization of the public service is that preference must be given to local officers when considering promotions. In bringing forward this point we do not suggest that the rights of expatriate officers be ignored, but merely that when considering promotions, where other things are equal, preference should be given to the local candidates.

Not only are local officers not given preference in promotions, where other things are equal, the SNEOA fears that as the power over staff deployment and assessment now rests almost exclusively with expatriate officers, local officers are not given a fair chance. As social mobility is by no means complete in Hong Kong, expatriate heads of departments tend to see less and know less of their non-expatriate subordinates, so that even the most fair minded Head may be subconsciously prejudiced when it is a toss up between choosing an expatriate or a local officer for advancement.

How much worse it must be for the local officer when his fate is in the hands of the racialist hard-core which unfortunately still remains in our midst? The S.N.E.Q.A. asks that the Heads of Departments and other senior staff who discriminate against local officers be weeded out and that all remaining Heads of Departments be reminded of their obligation to advance Government's policy of localization.

In particular, the SNEOA urges the closest scrutiny be kept over postings where local officers are shunted around when temporary senior vacancies are available so that when the permanent vacancies arise they are passed over on account of their having inadequate experience.

In general terms, the SNEOA welcomes the strengthening of the Public Services Commission, but in the final analysis the P.S.C. must act on departmental advice. Unfortunately, the basic safeguard of the P.S.C. is not even available in the sphere of appointments to the Judiciary, and we note with regret that a local Senior Magistrate has recently been passed over in a District Court vacancy. Justice may have been done, but in the eyes of the S.N.E.O.A. it has not manifestly been seen to be done.

Our final point is one of information concerning the position of pensions in the event of the unfortunate demise of this Colony:

(a) Do the pensions of expatriates have first call on

the Colony's investments in London ?

(b)

All pensionable officers are compulsory contributors to the Widows & Orphans Pension Scheme. What are the relative positions of the widows and orphans of local officers who happen to be living in :