Staff Relations in the Hong Kong Civil Service

Abstract

Staff Relations in the Hong Kong Civil Service are in a state of flux after a history of relative quiescence. Union organization and activity is gathering momentum against a background of renewed economic growth following the 1974-5 recession. In the context of the Colony as a whole, government employ ment is the only field where industrial relations are "maturing" in the style of the advanced economies. Demands for union recognition and negotiating rights place the management of senior civil servants in a position where procedural reform is viewed as a more attractive option than inertia. The problems of public sector pay determination familiar in the OECD economies are replicated in an economy in transit from "Third World" to "First World" status, and are probably exacerbated by the dominant free market orientation of the Colorty's commerce and industry.