To Rise to Challenges and to Serve with Commitment

The New Year has just begun and the three advisory bodies responsible for the conduct of the comprehensive review of our civil service pay policy and system have already held their first joint meeting and set up a Task Force to take forward the first phase of the review.  The Task Force comprises ten members drawn from the three advisory bodies, including Members of the Executive Council and the Legislative Council, academics, businessmen and experts in human resource management. It decided that a professional consultant should be commissioned to research into the latest developments in civil service pay administration in other governments, analyse their pros and cons and identify best practices that may be of particular relevance to Hong Kong.  Areas to be focused on include -

(a)  the pay policies, pay system and pay structure commonly adopted;
(b)  the experience of replacing fixed pay scales with pay ranges;
(c)  the pay adjustment system and mechanism;
(d)  the experience of introducing performance-based rewards to better motivate staff; and
(e)  the experience in simplification and decentralisation of pay administration.

In carrying out this analytical study, the Task Force will take account of the history and development of the civil service pay policy and system in Hong Kong.  It will also consult the staff sides, departmental/grade management and other interested parties.  It will report its findings to the three advisory bodies.  The three advisory bodies will submit the findings of the analytical study under phase one of the review to the Administration in mid-2002.  Based on the findings of the analytical study and the views of the parties concerned, the three advisory bodies will make detailed recommendations to the Administration in the second half of 2002 on how to take forward the comprehensive review under phase two.

As the review has a direct bearing on every one of us regardless of grades and ranks, colleagues are strongly advised to put forth their views for the careful consideration of the Task Force.  Views should be forwarded to the Joint Secretariat for the Advisory Bodies on Civil Service and Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service at Room 701, 7th Floor, Tower Two, Lippo Centre, 89 Queensway, Hong Kong or by e-mail to jsscs@jsscs.gov.hk.  It is hoped that through this comprehensive review, consensus can be reached amongst the staff, the management and the community so that we can work in full cooperation to improve our civil service pay policy and system, enabling it to keep pace with the times and the long-term development of the community.

Being a civil service of the people and for the people, we share the interests of the general public.  We can in no way ignore their concerns.  I believe that the general public appreciates the great contribution made by the civil service to the community as well as the importance of a reasonable pay system as a cornerstone of a stable, clean and highly efficient civil service.  I can assure you that in considering any issues which may affect our civil service pay policy, the Administration will adhere to the principles of lawfulness, fairness and reasonableness.  I pledge to be fair to colleagues while being accountable to the public.

To us civil servants, reasonable pay is not the only reward we want to get in return for our hard work; public respect and recognition are equally important.  One of the primary concerns of the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) is to win public understanding of the civil service through enhanced communication with the community.  Last year, the CSB commissioned the Radio Television Hong Kong to produce the programme " Civil Service Special", a 13-part documentary TV series featuring the work of colleagues from various departments.

Although only 12 departments and one grade have been selected for the production of the series, " Civil Service Special" covers a wide spectrum of the civil service, including disciplined services, civilian departments providing front line services, works departments, departments responsible for internal logistic support and the Administrative Officer grade.  It is expected that after watching the TV series, the public will gain a better understanding of the work of civil servants holding different positions in the government and the tough and smooth times they face in their jobs.  The public may also come to better appreciate the good work of many of our outstanding front line officers.

The TV series is now broadcast on TVB Jade every Saturday between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.  Starting from 19 February, it will be broadcast on Cable TV News Channel 1 every Tuesday between 8:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.  For further details, please visit the CSB Homepage at http://www.csb.gov.hk.  The TV series is the culmination of the hard work of many colleagues who took part in the production.  We are going to produce a VCD set for future viewings.

To further enhance public understanding of government services and to promote the concept of customer-oriented service, the CSB will hold an Exhibition on Customer Service Excellence at the Hong Kong Central Library on 1, 2, 3 and 5 February as a highlight of the annual Civil Service Customer Service Award Scheme.  It will showcase the services of the 28 competing departments and that of 20 other departments.  You are invited to attend the exhibition to give your colleagues a boost.  You can also take this opportunity to learn more about the quality service of other departments.

The Civil Service Customer Service Award Scheme is now in its third year.  In the past two years, awards were given out on an individual and team basis.  This year, the focus is on the overall service of departments.  The Customer Service Excellence Award will be presented to those departments which excel in customer service.  For the first time, our customers - members of the public - are involved in the adjudication process.  Forty thousand sampled households were invited to select the best departments in a questionnaire survey.  A most impressive booth competition will also be organised whereby members of the public visiting the exhibition can vote on site the booth they like most.  The involvement of the public affords us an opportunity to better understand their views and expectations of our service, thus enabling us to improve our service accordingly.  This is the essence of customer-oriented service.  I encourage you to invite your family and friends to the exhibition to give us their valuable comments.