Major political parties supported a non-binding motion moved by Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung of the Civic Party, which demanded the government ensure subsidised organisations channel extra funding to raising staff pay and bringing entry-level pay in line with civil servants'.

Legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, of the Confederation of Trade Unions, said many groups receiving government subsidies had pocketed part of the funding intended for staff pay by keeping salaries low.

'Since the policy's intention is to give a pay rise to civil servants and staff employed by subvented organisation, why wouldn't the government also monitor how they are to spend the money?' Mr Lee asked.

Since the government decided last month to raise civil servants' pay, there have been a series of demonstrations by social service workers employed by subvented organisations who protested at having 'unequal pay' levels with comparable civil servants. Although the government decides how much each organisation receives, based on a formula, it is up to the individual organisations to determine how they spend their money.

Their staff are often paid less than their civil service counterparts.

Denise Yue Chung-yee, secretary for the civil service, said the government had no power to monitor the salaries subsidised organisations paid because this was governed by their individual employment contracts.

Medical staff and teachers in government departments have also been angry because while the pay level of new recruits was raised, pay adjustments for veterans did not address the deep pay cuts they had suffered.

Meanwhile, in a Legco house committee meeting, lawmakers from different parties criticised the poor attendance of ministers at Legco meetings.

Committee chairwoman Miriam Lau Kin-yee of the Liberal Party said that she would present the complaints to the new chief secretary, Henry Tang Ying-yen, at a meeting next week.