Civil Service chief tries to calm pay-cut row

The Civil Service Secretary has stepped in to calm a row between angry staff and a prominent legislator about whether salary cuts were justified.

Joseph Wong Wing-ping said: 'I don't think the debate should go to such an extreme.'

He was responding to grievances aired during an Internet forum over the remarks on pay cuts made by Liberal Party chairman James Tien Pei-chun.

Civil servants have been infuriated by the business-affiliated leader's proposal that officials should share the economic pain by taking a 10 per cent pay cut. An Internet chat room sponsored by unionists has been flooded with anti-Tien responses.

One user even urged colleagues to boycott the clothing chain store G2000, owned by Mr Tien's brother, Michael Tien Puk-sun.

Unionists are to present all the responses in a petition to the Liberal legislator during the Lunar New Year, a move Mr Tien has already reportedly rejected.