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Entry-level salaries should be cut by two grade points, says govt commission

The entry-level salary of university graduates who wish to apply for civil service posts should be reduced by two salary points from grade 16 to 14 of the government's master pay scale, a body studying civil service salaries and working conditions has recommended.

This means that the new employees would receive about HK$2,000 less per month, which brings their total monthly pay to HK$19,835. The recommendation will affect 36 existing job grades, covering all non-directorate civilian grades, which include secondary and primary school teachers, school inspectors and social work assistants.

The entry pay of higher diploma holders will remain at grade 13, which leaves the difference between the starting pay of degree and higher diploma holders at a mere HK$950. The new recommendation will not affect existing staff.

Officials have not yet decided when to implement the new grade deduction.

The government will consider public opinion during the course of one month. If the proposal is approved by the Executive Council, it still requires the endorsement of the Establishment Subcommittee and Finance Committee of the Legislative Council.

The Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service compared a 2009 civil service salary with private sector salaries. The period covered April 2, 2008 to April 1, 2009, with a total of 112 private firms providing 7,938 valid data points for analysis purposes.

Commission chairman Nicky Lo said such a survey would be done every three years to prevent severe fluctuations of civil salaries every year.

As the biggest employer in Hong Kong, the government needs to ensure that civil service salaries are competitive and comparable to private sector salaries, said Lo.

As surveyed, the entry salary of certain civil service posts at grade 16 (HK$21,880) is far higher than the HK$18,504 offered in the private sector. As such, the commission recommends a decrease to grade 14 (HK$19,835).

Despite the adjustment, Lo says that the civil service pay scale still remains higher and more attractive than the private sector pay scale.

Education constituency lawmaker Cheung Man-kwong is not happy with the starting salary adjustment, which applies to secondary and primary school teachers. "It is unnecessary to compare the salaries of government school teachers because there are no similar posts in the private sector," insists Cheung. "If the government offers good salaries to teachers, it can attract educators with master's and doctorate degrees to teach in secondary schools," he added.

"Such a proposal will not attract talented and committed staff, and will only cause the education of students to decline in quality," he lamented.

Lee Kwai-yin, vice-president of the Chinese Civil Servants Association, blasted the surveyed data from April 2008 to April 2009 as outdated, citing that the private sector has begun to award pay increases in the wake of the global financial crisis.

The proposal cannot save a lot of money, but it will yield negative consequences, Lee warned. "It will also create the unfair problem of `equal work, unequal pay' within the civil service," she cautioned.

(HK Edition 03/10/2010 page1)