The civil service chief has accused lawmakers of trying to cause trouble between the senior and junior ranks in the civil service over the controversial review of pay levels.
Secretary for Civil Service Joseph Wong Wing-ping made the comments after a unionist legislator attacked the government for excluding the service's well-paid directorate staff from the proposed pay-comparison survey due to begin next year.
The Civil Service Bureau has said these 1,400 top civil servants have no direct comparison in the private sector. Adjustment to their salaries would be based on the findings concerning other ranks, the bureau said.
At a meeting of the Legco public service panel, Federation of Trade Unions legislator Wong Kwok-hing criticised what he said was favouritism towards senior officials. 'The pay review only targets the junior [ranks] and spares the upper ranks,' he said.
Joseph Wong said although directorate staff were not included in the survey, the general findings would apply to them. He criticised members for provoking discord between senior and junior staff.
'Directorate staffers are also part of the civil service. Such endless criticism and trampling on them is not healthy,' he said.