国产av不卡一区二区_欧美xxxx做受欧美_成年人看的毛片_亚洲第一天堂在线观看_亚洲午夜精品久久久中文影院av_8x8ⅹ国产精品一区二区二区_久久精品国产sm调教网站演员_亚洲av综合色区无码一二三区_成人免费激情视频_国产九九九视频

National

Regional

Taiwan, HK, Macao

Special Coverage

Focus

Society

Profiles

Pay cut for officials shows we care: Tsang

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-17 08:15

HONG KONG: Hong Kong's top government official, who earns almost $50,000 a month, will take a 5.4 percent pay cut, along with other senior government officials, to show support for the public during the recession.

Related readings:  Officials agree to salary cuts  Hong Kong lagging behind in digital revolution: PwC  Hong Kong ties remain strong despite Shenzhen mayor's firing  Top travel promotions focus on Hong Kong  Hong Kong's future as financial hub remains secure

Chief Executive Donald Tsang said yesterday he and his senior officials wanted to show they stood "shoulder-to-shoulder" with the people during difficult times.

The amount shaved off Tsang's salary is about the same as the average household income in Hong Kong, which has been hit hard by the global downturn because of its reliance on world trade.

The Hong Kong economy has been shrinking since the third quarter of 2008 and unemployment is the highest it has been for four years. Companies have cut salaries, scrapped bonuses and asked employees to take unpaid leave.

"Hong Kong's economy has been badly hit by the financial crisis," said Tsang, who earns HK$370,000 ($47,436) a month. "We understand that everyone has been affected in one way or another: some suffered a pay cut, some had their bonus reduced and some even lost their jobs."

The pay cuts will take effect in July and mirror a proposed 5.4 percent pay cut for senior civil servants. The salaries of lower-ranked bureaucrats will be frozen.

However, legislator Lee Cheuk-yan, who is chief secretary of the Confederation of Trade Unions, said the cuts were not big enough.

He said Tsang should follow his predecessor, Tung Chee-hwa, who took a 10 percent pay cut when the SARS virus pushed the territory into recession six years ago.

The top officials are political appointees and not officially civil servants. Civil servants criticized proposed salary restrictions, arguing pay increases recently had not kept pace with the private sector.

China Daily - Reuters