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Following is the transcript (English portion) of a media session given by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Donald Tsang, today (March 6):
Reporter:... It has been criticised that the pay cut has been particularly unfair to civil servants ...
Mr Tsang: I think the most important thing is that salary adjustment will be conducted according to existing system and mechanism. There will be full consultation with staff, following the publication of the pay trend survey. So everyone will be able to express his views on this matter and I am sure the SAR Government will take into account the outcome of the consultation, also the prevailing economic conditions of that time, and also staff morale before taking the final decision.
Reporter: The Financial Secretary has made the 4.75% pay cut assumption ... What is the Pay Trend survey result? ...?
Mr Tsang: The 4.75% mentioned by the Financial Secretary is one of his assumptions needed for the purpose of projecting our expenditure and our revenue after 2006 and 2007 to demonstrate that we are able to regain our budgetary balance by that time. The way in which we are going to conduct the actual pay adjustment will be in strict accordance with the pay trend survey, the prevailing economic conditions, the cost of living at that time, and staff morale before we take a final view on this. Thank you very much.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
End/Wednesday, March 6, 2002
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