Hong Kong: Legco to vote on civil service salary cut
By Eve Wu from South China Morning Post, 21 November 2009
Legislation for a civil service pay cut is scheduled for a final vote in mid-December despite a last-minute attempt by a lawmaker to block its passage.
Under the bill, which is likely to be passed by the Legislative Council, senior civil servants earning more than HK$48,401 a month can expect to have their salaries reduced by 5.38 per cent from January 1.
But the pay cut, which was endorsed by the Executive Council in June, may not last longer than three months, as the next annual pay adjustment is due in April.
According to a paper prepared by the administration for legislators in June, the estimated full-year saving for the civil service and government-funded organisations would be HK$2.1 billion.
But if the cut remains effective for only three months, the savings to taxpayers would be only about HK$529 million.
At the final meeting of the Legco committee scrutinising the bill yesterday, independent lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee brought a non-binding motion to stop the government sending the bill to the legislature for final endorsement.
The motion was passed with backing from two unionist lawmakers, but it failed to persuade the government to withdraw the proposal.
Andrew Wong Ho-yuen, permanent secretary for the civil service, reiterated the government’s firm stance. “[We] understand some lawmakers disagree with the pay-cut proposal, but it was earlier endorsed by the Executive Council.
“We plan to resume the second and third reading of the bill next month,” he said.
The legislature will vote on the bill on December 16.
Ip, who is a former secretary for security, is seeking to reduce the pay cut from 5.38 per cent to 1.59 per cent by amending the bill.
The independent lawmaker yesterday expressed worries about civil service morale, adding that private employers might follow the government’s lead.
Last month, most of the 11 bills committee members urged the government to rethink its decision to cut pay, while Ip called for the proposal to be withdrawn.
But the administration insisted that it had no plan to amend or withdraw the 5.38 per cent pay cut, which will affect some 18,200 senior civil servants. – SCMP
Republished from South China Morning Post
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Ah Siao on Sat, 21st Nov 2009 11:01 pm
It’s just another wayang by the HK Legco. Even if it is passed, there won’t be a lasting effect. It’s just a morale victory for the Democrats.
Having said that, at least the HK legislators are voting on someones else pay.
If it’s in singapore, the same group of idiots will be voting on their own pay cheack. Where got meaning???
fpc on Sun, 22nd Nov 2009 3:27 am
5++% and the HK govt save 2 billion.
Anyone want to guess how much we would save, if the govt reduces their pay by 5%…
I think we can building another MRT somewhere.
fpc on Sun, 22nd Nov 2009 3:27 am
5++% and the HK govt save 2 billion.
Anyone want to guess how much we would save, if the govt reduces their pay by 5%…
I think we can build another MRT line somewhere.
abc on Fri, 27th Nov 2009 12:39 pm
I don’t know if the numbers in the article are right, but Hong Kong has 18,200 senior civil servants earning HK48K per month? That’s a lot of senior ppl.