Tung Chee-hwa promised yesterday to consider civil servants' opposition to reforms of the bureaucracy, days before government staff are due to protest against controversial privatisation plans.
In a rare move, Mr Tung spoke to reporters after meeting civil service groups for an hour. He said: 'They gave us some very valuable opinions and we are now looking at their suggestions with a view to see how we can implement them better.' Mr Tung's spokesman described the move as a show of the importance attached to the issue.
Mr Tung said the groups' views were 'very positive' and the Government and the civil service were part of the same family. He praised the civil service for its contributions to stability and prosperity and pledged to strengthen communication.
The reforms, announced in March last year, propose to streamline disciplinary procedures, change the promotion and appraisal system and fringe benefits, and link performance to pay. Four unions, representing more than 10,000n staff, attended the meeting. They said they were satisfied with Mr Tung's response and maintained their stance of not joining Sunday's protest, organised by other civil service groups.
Leung Chi-chiu, chairman of the Senior Non-expatriate Officers Association, did not rule out taking to the streets but said his group would reflect its views in a reasonable and rational manner. 'It is more positive to deal with the issues in a businesslike manner,' he said. Cheung Kwok-biu, chairman of the Hong Kong Civil Servants General Union, said he would consider whether to take follow-up action, depending on Mr Tung's response.
Mr Leung said Mr Tung suggested solutions could be put forward in the Policy Address.