TNAG-2669-FCO40-3866-Hong-Kong-Civil-Service-1993 — Page 21

Civil Service Branch

Civil Service Consultation Document Civil Service Terms of Appointment & Conditions of Service

for overseas terms will be offered local appointment terms. Ethnic origin, nationality or citizenship does not as such determine whether a candidate should be employed on local or overseas terms. Hence, we have ethnic Chinese persons serving on overseas terms and non-ethnic Chinese persons on local terms.

1.5

A competent permanent and pensionable officer has an expectation of a full career up to normal retirement age. Circumstances under which this does not apply include compulsory retirement or dismissal on disciplinary grounds, invaliding on medical grounds, removal for unacceptable performance and removal from office under the provisions of a compensation or abolition of office scheme.

1.6

For agreement officers, local and overseas alike, each renewal of agreement depends on service need, satisfactory conduct and performance and physical fitness. For overseas agreement officers, in line with the existing localisation policy, the offer of another overseas agreement is subject to an additional condition that no suitable local replacement is available.

Why Change

1.7

Overseas terms and conditions of service, which are different from those offered to local officers, were originally designed for the purpose of attracting overseas officers who possess the specific skills and expertise which are not available locally. They were also intended to help overseas officers, who would invariably suffer some dislocation from an environment to which they belong, to set up a home and to regularly renew family and social ties in their country of origin.

1.8

Over the years, measures have been taken by the Administration to narrow the differences between overseas and local conditions of employment. At the directorate level 4 (D4) and above, local and overseas conditions of service are now virtually the same. At more junior levels, there are differences in housing benefits, and leave and passage entitlements.

1.9

The differences between the two sets of conditions of service have existed for many years because of historical reasons. However, with the passage of time, such differences in terms and conditions of service have become less necessary for the purpose of recruiting and retaining staff of a suitable calibre. It is therefore proposed that one set of new terms of appointment and conditions of service be introduced for general application.