Sessional_Paper_1948 — Page 51

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(vi) In all the above cases expatriation pay should be added in the event that the officer concerned qualifies therefor, but in the application of Rule (ii) it should be remembered that previous salaries have, in effect, included an element of expatriation pay. (vii) All officers should keep their existing incremental dates until they

vary on promotion.

(viii) Notwithstanding the above rules, the Government should have the right to deal as it thinks fit with any individual case which might, if the above rules were applied, give rise to an anomaly.

196. In certain cases where we have proposed complete reorganisation or a radical regrading or where officers have been placed in a grade to which hitherto promotions have been made to fill vacancies but which in the new scheme is included in a time scale, or where an old scale has been drastically shortened or lengthened, the rules suggested above may not be appropriate. We have, for example, prepared tentative drafts of a special conversion scheme for the Clerical Service and another for the Police Inspectorate. It is probable that similar schemes will have to be devised to ensure equitable treatment where some officers as in the Public Works Department are in the middle or towards the end of a long scale and others are at the beginning of a shorter scale introduced since 1937. A special scheme will have to be drawn up for certain officers in the Education Department at present on a long time scale who will have to transfer to a very much shorter scale in future. In cases such as the last it is probable that instead of a straight conversion according to length of service which would result in the majority of officers in a particular category being placed on the maximum of the new scale, a system of awarding one increment on the new scale for two or more years on the old scale will have to be adopted. When the new scales are finally approved, it will probably be necessary for machinery to be set up to deal with the various problems which are bound to arise from the new salaries scheme in which we have greatly reduced previous diversities in scales.

197. Certain officers have been appointed since the reoccupation on short term contract or on a temporary basis on fixed salaries which are at points within existing salary scales. If it is decided to offer employment on the permanent pensionable establishment to any such officers, we consider that the point at which such officers should enter the new scales should be decided by Government upon the merits of each case.

SPECIAL MEASURES IN CASES WHERE PERMANENT EMOLUMENTS ARE TEMPORARILY REDUCED

198. It is possible that in certain cases the new salary scales will result in a temporary reduction of emoluments exclusive of high cost of living allowance. Similarly, certain officers may on transfer to the new scales find that their pensionable emoluments would be temporarily reduced. We recom- mend that Government should consider on their merits any such cases which may arise and accord such treatment as may be deemed equitable.

ELECTION TO TRANSFER TO THE NEW SCALES OF PAY

199. We recommend that serving officers should be allowed to exercise an option whether to retain their existing salaries and terms and conditions of service or to transfer to the new scales under the revised conditions of service which we have proposed. In our opinion this option should be exercised in writing by all officers concerned not later than 31st March, 1948. A possible extension might be granted to officers who are on leave at the date of the publication of the revised salaries scheme. In their case we consider that a further extension of three months might be given. Such officers should have option forms explaining exactly to them their position under the new scheme forwarded to them in good time to enable them to register their option by the due date. An officer accepting promotion should be required to come on to the new salary scheme and should not be given any option.