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Following is a question by the Hon Li Fung-ying and a written reply by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Miss Denise Yue, on careful and fair staff posting or rotation in the Legislative Council today (February 7):
Question:
Some frontline civil servants have recently related to me that owing to the implementation of five-day work week, they have to get off work at a later hour during weekdays, rendering it difficult for them to do certain household chores, such as picking up children after school or going to the market. Fearing that reversion to the previous arrangement will deprive other colleagues of day-offs on Saturdays, they are reluctant to report their difficulties to their supervisors. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) how it helps such staff resolve the difficulties concerned; and
(b) whether it will consider allowing such staff to choose to go to work and get off work earlier?
Reply :
Madam President,
(a) In taking forward the five-day week initiative, our primary consideration is to maintain the overall level and efficiency of government services. Upon implementation of the five-day week arrangement, departments have extended their opening hours on weekdays to fully compensate the service hours rendered on Saturdays before. Moreover, one of the basic principles adhered to in the implementation of the five-day week initiative by the Government is that there should be no reduction in the weekly conditioned hours of service of individual staff. Accordingly, the daily working hours of staff on the five-day week arrangement have to be slightly lengthened.
In order to maintain the provision of emergency and essential services, our current assessment is that some tens of thousands of civil servants will continue to work more than five days/five shifts a week by July 2007. To enable more staff to have the opportunity to work under the five-day week arrangement, departmental management has exercised and will continue to exercise care to ensure the posting or rotation of staff is fair. Where individual staff are unable to adjust to the five-day week working hours for various reasons, they may approach their departments. Where practicable, the departmental management would consider transferring them to non-five-day-week posts.
(b) All along, Heads of Department set the opening hours of the offices under their purview in the light of operational requirements. At the same time, they are responsible to ensure that adequate staff are available to provide services during the opening hours, and the total actual hours of work of staff do not fall short of their conditioned hours. Indeed, most departments that have implemented the five-day week arrangement have devised duty rosters for staff to work staggered hours such that sufficient manpower is available to provide quality services throughout the extended opening hours. Within these broad principles and after internal consultation, Heads of Department may, where practicable, lay down staff's working hours with certain flexibility for individual staff.
Ends/Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:12
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