TNAG-0991-FCO40-1210-Policy-on-salaries-and-pensions-for-civil-service-in-Hong-Ko-1980 — Page 221

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(d) The Director of Social Welfare (DSW) and representatives of the voluntary sector agreed at a meeting on 18 January that a review would be carried out in accordance with the principles adopted for the SWD review. Follow- ing further consultation with the voluntary sector, the machinery for conducting the review was agreed. A Steering Committee, assisted by a Working Group, was established by DSW on 1 February, with representatives largely nominated or elected by the voluntary sector themselves, and has since come into full operation.

(e) The size of the review machinery must be kept reasonably small if it is to carry out the task smoothly and expeditiously. It is impossible for every individual organisation concerned (there are many) to be represented on the Steering Committee. Since the voluntar y sector had nominated or elected their own representatives to sit on the Steering Committee (and the Working Group), the Union's request to be represented on the Steering Committee was rejected, together with similar requests from various other organisations. The Union was told on 9 February by DSW that it was free to make representations to the Steering Committee or the Working Group. Other interested organisa- tions, groups or individuals were also similarly invited.

(f) On the advice of the Social Welfare Advisory Committee, the Government agreed in November 1979 that the revised salary scales for certain ranks in SWD (Assistant Social Work Officer and Social Work Officer) may apply to voluntary agencies' staff holding similar qualifications

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