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Following is the transcript of a media session given by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joseph WP Wong, today (September 17) after the presentation of the Secretary for the Civil Service's Commendation Awards:

Reporter: Mr Wong, you have just pledged that there will be no pay cuts for civil servants...... What if the pay level survey shows that the disparity is quite great......

SCS: What I said a moment ago is simply to say that after the second phase of pay reduction which will take effect from January next year, the Government has no further plan to reduce civil service salaries. In so far as the Pay Level Survey is concerned, we have been in discussion with the major staff unions on how results should be applied. I do not intend to go into details of our discussions. But it is important to bear in mind that ultimately we would issue a consultation paper which will set out the Government's position on the methodology of the Pay Level Survey as well as how the Government intends to apply the results to the civil service. It is my objective to arrive at a consensus on these two very important and highly controversial subjects on the basis that whatever we decide will be acceptable to the general public as well as the civil service at large.

(Please also refer to the Chinese transcript.)

Ends/Friday, September 17, 2004

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