TNAG-1388-FCO40-1859-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Sino-British-Joint-Declaration-1985 — Page 295

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Agreement to non-Chinese foreign nationals in the public service with regard to promotion and privileges.

There is a wide appreciation that the arrangements in the Draft Agreement will adversely affect Expatriate Civil Servants though this is felt more acutely by those officers below the age of 42. This adverse affect is anticipated and accepted by many of our members as the inevitable result of decolonisation.

5. Leading from this appreciation there has been considerable anxiety expressed on many specific points, here are the main ones:

(i) Agreement officers see the prospects of further

employment as being bleak.

(ii) Permanent and Pensionable officers with substantial service are very concerned about whether or not they will receive worthwhile pensions and want the kind of assurances that any good and reliable employer should be able to give.

(iii) Younger Permanent and Pensionable officers

seriously considering resigning now and seeki employment elsewhere rather than being dis- appointed later, when to start a new career afresh would not be so easy to accomplish.

These worrying points arising from the constitutional changes envisaged in the Draft Agreement have been responsible for a perceptable lowering of morale since the Draft Agreement was issued.

A firm, positive, encouraging statement to halt sinking morale is needed now. The British Hong Kong Government's commitment to its Expatriate Civil Servants and how it intends to meet that commitment needs to be clearly spelt out.

Yours faithfully,

J.S. Lambourn

President

The Commissioner, Assessment Office, P.O. Box 9000, Hong Kong

Dear Sir,

A Draft Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Future of Hong Kong

I wish to record on behalf of the Association of Expatriate Civil Servants of Hong Kong our comments on the overall acceptability of the Draft Agreement.

From a recent opinion survey carried out amongst our members which attracted a positive response from more than 30% of our membership we conclude as follows:-

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The overwhelming majority of our members feel that on balance the Draft Agreement on the future of Hong Kong should be accepted, there being no choice.

There are doubts as to the sincerity of China to implement its declared basic policies on the future of Hong Kong. It is accepted that only time will test the true intentions of China.

In general most of our members considered the Draft Agreement better than expected and adequate to maintain confidence although there were doubts on the latter point in the long term.

some

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6th November 1984

There is a demand by our members for explicit clarification in detail of the references in the Draft Agreement to non-Chinese foreign nationals in the public service with regard to promotion and privileges.

There is wide appreciation that the arrangements in the Draft Agreement will adversely affect expatriate civil servants. This affect is anticipated and accepted by many of our members as the inevitable result of decolonisation.

There are numerous other points arising on which our members are anxious to obtain clarification, how- ever these are more specifically of an employer/ employee nature and therefore will be taken up with the Hong Kong Government.

Although we foresee that fewer expatriate civil servants will be employed in future, the Draft Agreement will all in all provide a solid basis for the majority of Hong Kong people upon which to build their futures.

Yours sincerely,

J.S. Lambourn President

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