Civil service pay rise must be seen to be fair and well justified
While an increase in pay is worth supporting in principle, the public perception of the performance of some departments must be taken into account
A basket of factors will be considered under the mechanism – including the state of the economy, the cost of living, the government’s fiscal position, staff pay claims and morale. While a pay rise is worth supporting in principle, the authorities cannot brush aside public perception of the performance of some departments, especially when taxpayers’ money will be involved.
Amid a gaping budget deficit in 2024, the Executive Council decided on a flat 3 per cent for all staff, even though the pay trend survey at the time suggested increases of 4.01 per cent for the top rank, 4.32 per cent for the middle and 5.47 per cent for the lower band. This showed civil service payment is at the discretion of the government rather than a mechanical exercise.
In response to a question on whether a pay rise for staff following the deadly Tai Po blaze would trigger a public backlash, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan stressed that most government employees were professional, efficient and devoted. Be that as it may, an across-the-board pay rise means those associated with malpractices contributing to the disaster will benefit.
That makes the government’s pledge to deny underperformers their annual pay increments under a revamped appraisal system all the more important. Under a more rigorous assessment approach to be introduced in October, the bottom 10 per cent of performers in a service grade will not be eligible for a salary point increment, which is a separate adjustment according to seniority and performance within the pay scale for the grade.