TNAG-0991-FCO40-1210-Policy-on-salaries-and-pensions-for-civil-service-in-Hong-Ko-1980 — Page 275

Sir Murray Maclphose Governor of Hong Kong Government House

HONG KONG

67 Shantung Street Flat B, 3/F Kowloon

HONG KONG

February 11, 1980

Dear Sir,

RE: WELFARE CLASS REVIEW

We write to you in good faith that justice and fair treatment will be given to cocial workers of the voluntary seotor. We are dissatisfied with the failure of the Secretary for Social Services in giving satisfactory explanation and immediate solution to the captioned issue and are in strong protest of the refusal of the Social Welfare Department to have an audience with representatives of our Union. It is therefore sincerely hoped that you will inter- fere into the situation by studying our case and giving your righteous decision.

2.

The voluntary sector has all along been providing two-thirds of the social welfare services in Hong Kong and since 1973, the parity and partnership principle has been upheld by both the Gove- rnment and voluntary sector. Social workers employed in subvented voluntary agencies are in fact undertaking jobs and receiving pay scales comparable to those of their counterparts in the Government. Comparability of jobs and ranks has been used by the Social Welfare Department in granting subvention to voluntary agencies.

3. With the Welfare Class Review, we are tremendously upset by and dissatisfied with the "conscious decision" of the Social Welfare Department to exclude the voluntary sector at the onset of the captioned Review. Since the Government does recognise that the Review is bound to have implications on the voluntary sector and appreciates the need to consider it as soon as possible, and that the Review for the voluntary sector is a "complex" one, we regret the inefficiency and protest against the conscious decision of the Social Welfare Department in keeping out the involvement of the voluntary sector and in purposefully withholding information from us. This is a blunt violation of the parity and partnership principle and of the comparability of jobs and ranks.

4.

Before effecting the Welfare Class Review which required staff of the SWD to undergo option leading to salary scales attaching to new ranks with effect from November 15, 1979, "all serving Assistant Social Welfare Officers, Social Welfare Officers, Welfare Assistants, and Principal Welfare. A&Gintants repeived revised salary scales appropriate to their ranks with effect from the date approved by the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council i.c. April 1, 1979." Yet social workers of comparable ranks in the voluntary sector were denied of such benefits. We urge that equal treatment be given to them since they all are undertaking comparable jobs and possess similar qualifications.

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