Failure to test civil servants on safety regulations: govt

Civil Service Secretary Ingrid Yeung said Monday that there are no plans to test government workers for knowledge of national security laws.

The idea of ​​testing was raised by lawmakers at a Legco panel meeting to discuss the updated Civil Service Code, which firmly recognizes the protection of national security as a core value of government personnel.

Yeung said there will be plenty of national security training, but not exams, for new and existing government employees.

“Integrity and attitude are important in training. You can’t really test it on an exam,” she told lawmakers.

“Yes, you can ask them to cite lots of examples, but can they actually deliver? This is more important. Therefore, just as we evaluate our colleagues, we will evaluate their daily work and behavior.”

The updated code also states that, as part of their official duties, civil servants cannot criticize any government policy or support opposing views and must be loyal to the then chief executive and the Central People’s Government.

Chau Siu-chung of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Federation of Trade Unions asked for clarification on the issue, saying it was difficult to tell whether someone was speaking in an official or personal capacity.

He argued that if government employees are not allowed to express public criticism in a personal capacity, it may not be good for overall management.

Yeung said this is something civil servants need to work out on their own.

The minister also emphasized that when a policy is at the consultation stage, government employees can speak more freely, but once a decision has been made, they should be especially careful.

At the same meeting, lawmakers also discussed a planned three percent across-the-board pay raise for civil servants.

Yeung rejected the federation’s Lam Chun-sing’s claim that employers are putting pressure on the government to control pay raises so that private sector workers do not demand larger pay raises.

The minister reiterated that the latest wage decision was based on several factors, including: state budget deficit.