Underperforming civil servants in Hong Kong to be sacked under streamlined system set to reduce ‘unnecessary representations’
- Requirement for independent panel review for poorly performing workers will be dropped under new mechanism
- New rules could scare off newcomers as they usually took more time to learn the ropes, union leader warns
Persistent underperformers in the Hong Kong civil service will now be sacked under a streamlined system that will reduce “unnecessary representations” by those facing the axe, authorities have said.
The Civil Service Bureau on Monday said the new mechanism was aimed at maintaining professionalism and efficiency to improve governance, but a union leader warned it could deter people from joining amid an employee exodus.
The measure, which took effect immediately, would reduce what the government called “unnecessary representations” by underperformers at multiple junctures.
Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan had earlier said government employees facing forced retirement would have two instead of four windows to make representations.
According to the bureau, a requirement for an independent panel review in the process will also be dropped, while an observation period for underperforming staffers may only be extended once and for specific reasons.
“For officers whose performance remains persistently substandard despite supervision and assistance, their appointment should be terminated in a timely manner,” it said in a statement.
The bureau added that staff “generally agreed” with the new measures.
