TNAG-0992-FCO40-1211-Policy-on-salaries-and-pensions-for-civil-service-in-Hong-Ko-1980 — Page 204

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CHAPTER 7

UPPER END OF THE MASTER PAY SCALE/ DISCIPLINED SERVICES PAY SCALE

Introduction

7.1

In the course of our first major review of individual grades, it was suggested to us that the pay of senior professionals and related ranks was inadequate, and that it was necessary to adjust the upper end of the Master Pay Scale to improve the situation. While we recognised the need for this adjustment, we also considered that, because of the promotion and supervisory relationship between these senior ranks and the bottom ranks of the Directorate, any adjustment to the upper end of the Master Pay Scale must take account of Directorate pay levels. In other words, the top points of the Master Pay Scale should have a reasonable relationship with the bottom point of the Directorate scale. In the latter part of 1979, we were given to understand that the Directorate scale would soon be reviewed by the Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service, and we therefore stated in paragraph 7.5 of our Report No. 2 our intention to take a further look at the upper end of the Master Pay Scale and equivalent points on the Disciplined Services Pay Scale which we had introduced in the light of the outcome of the Directorate pay review.

Rationale for Adjustment

7.2

During our deliberations, we noted that all adjustments of the pay scales since 1971 had been within the framework of the 48-point Master Pay Scale and thus upward changes in grade pay scales had usually been confined to the middle and lower ranks. There was very little room for manoeuvre at the senior professional and related levels. Since in the vast majority of cases such changes had involved raising scales at the lower end, there had been compression of grade pay minima and maxima.

7.3

If the levels of responsibility of senior ranks were to be adequately reflected in pay, if the management structure was not to be seriously weakened, and if experienced civil servants were to be retained, something had to be done to improve the upper end of the Master Pay Scale and the Disciplined Services Pay Scale.