The new head of the University of Hong Kong will have to address declining morale when he takes up the post in April, according to the leader of the institution's staff association.
Association president Chan Chit-kwai said staff morale at the university had been hit hard in the past decade because of the implementation of a policy of forced retirements and the use of short-term contracts without medical or retirement benefits.
Chan said he had discussed staff concerns with incoming vice chancellor Professor Peter Mathieson during an hour-long, closed-door meeting at the university on Tuesday, describing it as a "good start".
"We are asking for the retirement age to be raised from its current forced requirement of 60 to 65," Chan said.
City University, Lingnan University and the University of Science and Technology had already done so, he added.
"There are staff who have been working on short-term contracts for 10 or 12 years with absolutely no retirement benefits. Many feel they have no security at all," Chan told the Post.
The university also had the worst medical benefits packages out of all eight tertiary institutions in the city, lacking appropriate coverage for areas including physiotherapy, gynaecology and Chinese medicine, Chan said.