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The Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, welcomed the passage of the Public Officers Pay Adjustment Bill by the Legislative Council today (July 11) and thanked Legislative Council members for their support.
"We can now implement the decision to reduce civil service pay, which will alleviate the severe budget deficit and demonstrate our determination to share the burden with the rest of the community," he said.
Mr Tung said he fully understood the concerns of civil service unions and reiterated that the Government had no intention whatsoever of using this Bill as a precedent for curtailing civil servants' pension benefits.
"We will step up our dialogue with civil service groups to allay any misunderstanding and build up mutual trust," he said.
"We must join hands to weather the current difficulties brought about by the economic restructuring. We look forward to working closely with our civil service colleagues to provide better service to the people of Hong Kong," he said.
End/Thursday, July 11, 2002
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