Unions of Customs & Excise & Correction Services are unhappy about huge salary gaps with HK Police
BeWaterNumerous disciplined services unions,including the Hong Kong Customs & Excise Custom Officer Grade Association (HKCEOGA), Hong Kong Customs & Excise Staff General Association (HKCESGA), Hong Kong Correctional Services Department Assistant Officers General Association (HKCSDAOGA), and Hong Kong Chinese Civil Servants Association (HKCCSA), urged the government to standardize the pay scale and structure for all disciplined and related civil servants at today's Legislative Council Panel on Public Services meeting (where panel members met to examine and discuss the disciplined forces pay grade & structure).
Some legislators were of the view that the government should treat all disciplined and related force members equally. However, pro-establishment legislators continued to support the police force by justifying the current pay scale difference.At the public meeting, the Chairman of HKCESGA, Mr Chan Siu-Kau, stated that the current pay grade increment discrepancy between the Customs & Excise Services and HK Police ranges from $800 to $2,500. In the long term, the remuneration gap between Customs & Excise Services and the police will widen further. "We are all law enforcement teams. I don't understand why there is such a big salary discrepancy?" He also suggested that the government should add the positions of Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner respectively, to open up future opportunities for promotion.
Tam Wai-Fu, Chairman of HKCSDAOGA, said he hopes that there will be a more equitable pay scale for all enforcement forces. "We are a bit upset about the pay difference between the HK police force and the rest of the disciplined service members. Some people feel like they have been neglected”. Ng Kwong-Lam, Chairman of HKCCSA, concurred that the government should recognize the uniqueness of different enforcement forces, and acknowledge that their roles are not mutually replaceable. "No particular enforcement team is more important than another”, he said.
Joshua Law, Head of the Civil Services Bureau, responded that since the disciplined services pay scales are still under review by the Standing Committee of the Joint Secretariat for the Advisory Bodies on Civil Service and Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Services (JSSCS), as well as the Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service (DSCS), he could not comment on individual suggestions and opinions.
Pan-democratic camp supports equal pay scale for all enforcement staff, whilst the pro-establishment camp defends preferential pay for HK Police.
Jeremy Tan (of the Civic Party) agreed that, out of fairness, the police force and other enforcement officers should be under the same civil pay scale and structure. If the nature of responsibilities within a particular enforcement team is unique, the government can consider providing extra subsidies. Mr Ip Kin-Yuen (of the Education Constituency) queried the government on whether they should include Hong Kong citizens' opinions about the police in their review, given that the public is presently very dissatisfied with the police force. He asked whether the government should conduct a full and reliable opinion poll to ensure that citizens' views are included and clearly reflected.
Many pro-establishment legislators then defended the HK police by opposing an emphasis on public's view with respect to the pay scale. Ho Kai-Ming (of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Union) commented that, "it becomes 'harder' for enforcement personnel to enforce the law if citizens' views are 'overly' emphasized". He stressed that enforcement officers cannot allow public views to influence how they enforce the law. Former Secretary of the Security Bureau, Regina Ip (New People's Party),pointed out that the government should not solely consider citizens' views when considering government policies as it is “too dangerous. I don't know how the samples are collected. Some opinion polls are biased". She applauded the police force for "literally [taking up] a paramilitary’s and an army's roles", and added, "yesterday, there was another case of a police officer being attacked".
Joshua Law agreed that the government needs to be cautious in conducting a review; they cannot allow public opinion to undermine the impartiality of law enforcement. However, he admitted the consideration of public opinion is also well within the parameters of reviews conducted by JSSCS and DSCS.
Source : Apple Daily HK, (20-Jan)