Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ12: Remuneration packages for the services assistants of Hospital Authority
Following is a question by the Dr Hon Pan Pey-chyou and a written reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today
(February 16):
Question:
Since 2001 the Hospital Authority (HA) has recruited junior staff on contract
terms and replaced former posts of Workman II and Clerical Officer II and III,
etc. with General Services Assistants (GSAs) and Technical Services Assistants (TSAs)
and their remuneration has also been delinked from the civil service pay
structure. Some GSAs and TSAs have relayed to me that their remuneration and
benefit packages have remained on the low side for years, and there is also the
phenomenon of equal work with unequal pay, which has led to persistent low staff
morale and staff wastage, and that staff wastage will in turn affect the quality
of public healthcare services. It has been reported that HA has commenced a
comprehensive review of the GSA and TSA grades. In this connection, will the
Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it knows which organisation is responsible for the aforesaid review
and when the outcome of the review is to be announced; whether staff will
participate in the review process and be consulted, if they will, of the
details; if not, the reasons for that;
(b) given that the remuneration packages for GSA and TSA posts in different
hospital clusters or departments also differ, whether it knows if HA will
consider setting up a unified ranking, remuneration and benefit mechanism, and
formulating uniform employment terms so as to alleviate the unfair situation of
different remuneration packages being offered for the same post; if HA will do
so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c) given that the Government has announced earlier that it will remove the
employment system commonly known as the "3+3" system and instead civil servants
may be offered further appointment on permanent terms immediately after
completion of the three-year probation period to the satisfaction of the
management, whether it knows if HA will follow the Government's new employment
system and abolish the existing six-year contract entry system for GSAs and TSAs
by replacing it with a three-year contract which, upon expiry, will be renewed
for further appointment on permanent terms; if HA will do so, of the details; if
not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
(a) In 2001, the Hospital Authority (HA) formally established the grades of
General Service Assistant (GSA) and Technical Services Assistant (TSA) by
setting up a broad-banded grade structure to reduce the constraints of a
single-skill grade structure and to make available staff with multi-skills,
thereby allowing greater flexibility in the deployment of staff to meet changing
operational needs.
Basically, the remuneration packages for the GSA/TSA grades are determined
according to the pay levels in the market and their job duties. Adjustments will
be made annually as appropriate having regard to the changes in market pay rates
and staff performance. Staff members joining HA at different times may have been
offered different pay and conditions of service in the light of the prevailing
socio-economic environment and operational needs at the time of their
appointment.
The GSA/TSA grades have been created for nearly 10 years and the market has
since then changed considerably. There have also been changes in the operational
needs of hospitals. Under such circumstances, HA decided in mid-2010 to conduct
a comprehensive review of the GSA/TSA grades and commissioned a human resources
consultancy firm with rich experience in pay structure and grade structure
planning to conduct the review. The review covers the grade structure, the
overall remuneration package including pay and benefit as well as various terms
of employment to ensure that the remuneration packages for the GSA/TSA grades
are similar to that offered in the market and competitive. The annual pay
adjustment mechanism will also be reviewed in an effort to attract and retain
talents.
The review has started since August 2010 and is near to completion. The
consultancy firm is in the process of consolidating the review outcome, and will
submit proposals and reports to the HA management and HA Board for
consideration.
In the course of review, the consultancy firm has conducted consultations with
staff through various channels, including nine staff consultation forums held at
the HA Head Office and various clusters. A briefing session has also been held
at the Supporting Staff Group Consultative Committee, which comprises
representatives from various staff unions, to inform staff of the scope of the
review and collect their views. In addition, several consultation forums with
front line management staff and senior management have been held at the HA Head
office and various clusters to ensure that there is adequate understanding of
the views and concerns of the management and staff. The consultancy firm has
also maintained communications with relevant staff and collected their views
through a dedicated webpage and facsimile line as well as designated contacts at
the HA Head Office and the Human Resources Departments of clusters. In the
review process, over 1,500 staff have participated in the consultation forums
and nearly 3,000 written submissions have been received.
(b) Individual clusters may flexibly decide, under the same pay structure, the
remunerations of individual staff members of the GSA/TSA grades in the light of
the particular characteristics of their districts as well as the demand and
supply of manpower. The current grade review will also examine whether
consideration needs to be given to the setting up of a more standardised pay
administration system under the principle that a balance should be struck among
operational needs, flexibility in administrative management and comparability of
the remunerations for posts with similar duties and requirements within HA. A
concrete plan has yet to be drawn up, pending submission of the relevant
proposals by the consultancy firm to the HA management and HA Board for
consideration.
(c) As for HA's current arrangements for conversion of employment on contract to
permanent employment, under normal circumstances, most contract staff including
doctors, allied health practitioners, administrative and management staff as
well as various ranks of supporting staff are required to have at least six
years of services in HA and good performance in order to be eligible for
consideration by HA to convert their employment on contract to permanent
employment to meet operational needs. HA will review the relevant arrangements
as appropriate having regard to the actual operations.
Ends/Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Issued at HKT 12:38
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