Editorial | No room for iron rice bowl in Hong Kong’s civil service

Hong Kong’s civil service is reputedly one of the finest in the region. But like large private organisations, it too has bad apples that cannot be removed easily because of obsolete management rules.

The perception of government jobs being well paid and secure as an unbreakable “iron rice bowl” sits oddly with the image of the civil service as a modern and professional team.

The government is rightly seeking to streamline its disciplinary mechanism. To counter delaying or uncooperative tactics by those facing disciplinary action, the Civil Service Bureau has proposed that hearings be conducted in the absence of those who fail to appear.

The authority may also punish a member of staff convicted of a criminal act, especially those involving serious offences, by considering the sentence of the court without having to obtain a record of proceedings.

The changes may better balance the rights of officers and the efficiency of disciplinary proceedings. Between last April and December, some 194 civil servants were punished through formal disciplinary action, including 25 who were fired.

Another 458 were subject to summary disciplinary measures. While the numbers are relatively small for a workforce of 180,000, they underline the importance of an effective mechanism to discipline those who fail to perform, are guilty of misconduct or have been convicted.