Hong Kong (RAE - China) - Consultation rather than bargaining in the public sector (2010)

The government has consistently claimed that there is no need for collective bargaining rights in the public sector because the administration «consults» civil servants over their pay and conditions. However, recent civil service reforms, involving transfers, reductions in wages and benefits, retrenchment and contracting-out to the private sector, have demonstrated very clearly that the government is free to act unilaterally without consulting the affected civil servants. The introduction of legislation on wage cuts for civil servants is an example.