Over 3,000 Hong Kong civil servants disciplined for misconduct in past 5 years, with number dismissed in 2022 almost double yearly average
- Civil service chief Ingrid Yeung also rules out proposal for flexible working hours and childcare leave for staff
- ‘We are more generous than those in private organisations regarding the holidays that civil servants can enjoy and the maximum amount of leave,’ she adds
More than 3,000 Hong Kong civil servants were disciplined for misconduct over the past five years, a minister revealed on Monday, adding that the number of government workers dismissed in 2022 was almost double the annual average.
Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan also ruled out a proposal that authorities offer staff flexible working hours and childcare leave, arguing the government needed to balance operational efficiency and manpower arrangements.
Briefing lawmakers on the latest updates from her bureau, Yeung said staff would be expected to pledge loyalty to the Hong Kong government and the nation. The requirement would be clearly defined in a draft of an updated civil service code set to be shared during a consultation early next year.
“When formulating policies, we must also have national interests in mind, while national security is the focus of our considerations,” she said. “We also have to be politically neutral when providing services to political parties.”
Yeung added that a decision was still pending on whether the phrase “political neutrality” would be removed from the code, as she had received many comments since the bureau first made the suggestion last year.
