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A task group had been set up to explore feasible ways to resolve the pay level disputes concerning some temporary clerks of the Buildings Department on strike today (August 11), a department spokesman announced.
The spokesman said the staff involved in the strike were temporary clerks provided by a contractor – Joyway Management Limited – through the hire of service arrangement. Joyway was awarded a contract in 2008 in the amount of $6,783,000. Under the contract, Joyway provided 60 temporary clerks to the Buildings Department between July 1, 2008 and July 31, 2009. These temporary clerks were deployed to various sections of the department to perform general clerical duties.
Upon the expiry of the contract on July 31, the Buildings Department carried out an open tendering exercise in accordance with the Government tendering procedures. Since Joyway obtained the highest combined score, the company was awarded a new contract in the amount of $7,526,400. Under the new one-year contract, which was effective on August 1, Joyway would provide 80 temporary clerks.
"The contract was awarded through a tendering exercise, which was open to all interested and qualified bidders. The whole exercise was conducted in accordance with the Government procurement regulations. Various factors had been taken into consideration in the selection process. The contract sum submitted by tenderers was not the only factor being considered," the spokesman said.
He stressed that the department had monitored the contract compliance of Joyway and ensured that the company had released the monthly wages and contributed the mandatory provident fund according to the contract terms. No irregularities had been detected in the past year.
The department had flexibly redeployed its manpower resources and ensured that normal daily operations and services to the public were not affected by the staff strike, the spokesman said.
Ends/Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:15
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