ENG-1960 — Page 390

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CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

Salary Structure. Broadly speaking, the post-war structure of the Public Service, including its salary scales and general conditions of service, has been based upon the Report of the 1947 Salaries Commission.

During 1959 a new Commission, under the Chairmanship of Mr J. W. Platt, was appointed to consider and submit recom- mendations for the revision of the salaries and other emoluments of all public officers in Hong Kong. As a result of this Commis- sion's Report the cost of living allowance, calculated at 'married with children' rate, has been incorporated into basic salary for all officers except minor staff. Expatriation pay as such has also been abolished though incremental credit is granted by way of an inducement allowance to overseas officers with a monthly salary of less than about $2,740 (the exact figure depends on the particular scale). Above this point there is no differentiation in the emoluments of local and overseas officers, for an amount equivalent to the old expatriation pay has been incorporated into all salaries. The Commission also considered the question of equal pay for women; and the Government has accepted its recom- mendation that although men and unmarried women medical officers on the permanent establishment should be remunerated on equal terms after their first few years of service, the remunera- tion of other women officers, after consolidation of the cost of living allowance, should be fixed at, as nearly as possible, 75% of the remuneration of their male colleagues.

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