An advisory body on civil servants' salary and conditions of service proposed yesterday a 3.9 to 6.3 percent pay rise for civil servants.

The secretariat of the body conducted the 2008 Pay Trend Survey (PTS) from April 2, 2007 to April 1, 2008. The results reflected the pay trend in 97 companies involving 141,289 employees in the private sector, which served as a reference for civil service pay adjustment.

There are three salary bands: the upper band with a monthly salary of HK$45,971 to HK$91,765, the middle band with a monthly salary of HK$14,990 to HK$45,970, and the lower band with a monthly salary that is below HK$14,990.

Excluding the payroll cost of increments, it is recommended that civil servants in the upper, middle and lower bands should receive a pay rise of 6.3 percent, 5.29 percent and 3.9 percent respectively.

Legislative Council (LegCo) public service panel member Cheung Man-kwong welcomed the proposal, considering the current inflation. He added the pay increases match the rising expenses in Hong Kong.

Some civil service unions expressed different views.

The Hong Kong Federation of Civil Service Unions felt disappointed at the rate of increase for the lower band and was worried that this would influence staff morale and team spirit.

The Hong Kong Chinese Civil Servants' Association expressed hope for the actual increases to exceed the proposed ones as the government had a large surplus in the last financial year. It also looks forward to the government unifying the rates of increase for both the middle and lower bands.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Senior Government Officers Association was pleased with the proposal, saying the proposed pay rises are similar to those in the private sector last year.

Meanwhile, a human resources expert expressed concern over the proposed pay increases being higher than those in the private sector.

Hong Kong People Management Association president Felix Yip said the average pay increase in the private sector last year was about 4.2 percent. Yip said he is concerned that the proposed higher pay rises would pose a threat to employers, especially those hiring staff belonging to the high and middle bands.

A spokesman for the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) said the proposed adjustment is still pending the approval of the government and the LegCo finance committee.

(HK Edition 05/15/2008 page1)