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Hongkong Post contract staff affected by changes to long-term employment arrangements will be given priority consideration and relaxed requirements when applying for other civil service posts, according to a union.
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Hongkong Post, which has recorded losses for several years, announced in August that more than 200 employees who had completed their probation would not be offered permanent appointments. Instead, they would be retained on two-year civil service contracts, with the government pledging to provide support for those affected.
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions said the Civil Service Bureau had introduced new job transfer arrangements under which affected postal workers would receive priority in selection and recruitment for other grades.
The employees would be placed ahead of other candidates in the selection process, while departments would give preference to affected staff if candidates achieved the same assessment scores.
The bureau would also adopt a more flexible approach to probation periods and ensure that salaries would not fall below employees’ current pay levels, the union said.
For affected staff applying to become clerical assistants or assistant clerical officers under the Civil Service Bureau, academic requirements could also be relaxed and probation periods shortened.
Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Lam Wai-kong said the measures responded to concerns raised by workers and unions and offered greater flexibility than previous civil service transfer arrangements.
Hong Kong Postal Workers Union chairman Cheung Wai-kuen welcomed the move, saying it amounted to a long-term employment commitment for more than 200 affected workers and recognized their contribution to the government.
He said the duties and entry requirements for clerical assistants and assistant clerical officers were similar to those of postal grades, and expected many affected employees to consider transferring.
According to Civil Service Bureau figures, clerical assistants and assistant clerical officers start at about HK$15,000 and HK$17,000 a month respectively, below the starting salaries of about HK$18,000 for postmen and HK$19,000 for postal officers.
At the top of the pay scale, postmen can earn about HK$32,000 and postal officers HK$39,000, while clerical assistants can reach about HK$25,000 and assistant clerical officers HK$35,000. Assistant clerical officers can later be promoted to senior clerical officer, with monthly pay reaching about HK$63,000.
