Police representatives end five-year boycott of body advising Hong Kong government on its workers’ pay
- Officers said their pay should be adjusted separately from other civil servants
- But city leader in October ordered a review of pay grades for all disciplined services
The council that represents all Hong Kong police officers has ended a five-year boycott of the body which advises the government on civil service pay.
The news came as chairman of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service, Wilfred Wong Ying-wai, wrapped up his six-year tenure on Thursday. It was a sign of progress in a battle over whether officers’ pay should be adjusted in the same way as other government workers’.
The commission advises Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on the pay and conditions of Hong Kong’s 172,600 civil servants. Another body, the Pay Trend Survey Committee (PTSC), advises the commission on annual pay trends.
The credibility of the latter body, which comprises government and staff representatives, has been questioned since 2013, when two groups representing the disciplined services boycotted its meetings, dissatisfied with how it worked out its recommended pay adjustments.
The two groups were the Police Force Council (PFC) – which represents all 33,000 city police officers – and the Disciplined Services Consultative Council (DSCC), which represents more than 32,000 staff from correctional services, customs, fire services, immigration, and the Government Flying Service.
