Police can't be excluded from pay rises, says govt

Police can't be excluded from pay rises, says govt

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung says lawmakers should quickly approve the pay rises for civil servants that were announced back in June. Photo: RTHK

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said on Saturday that proposed pay rises for civil servants must also apply to police officers and the salary increases are not linked to the performance of any particular government department.



Po-democracy lawmakers have demanded that police pay be treated as a separate issue, and on Friday they called for the police chief to appear before them to answer questions on the force's funding.



But Cheung said no group of civil servants can be excluded from the pay increases of up to 5.26 percent, and lawmakers should approve the move quickly because the matter affects tens of thousands of government workers.



It's been more than six months since the government announced the salary increases. But the issue remains on the Finance Committee's agenda, in part due to the early summer recess called after the Legco building was stormed and heavily damaged by protesters on July 1.



Meanwhile, Cheung also said he believes there could be a review of the powers of the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC), but only after it finishes its study into the policing of recent protests.



Five overseas experts pulled out of the investigation panel this week, complaining the watchdog lacks the powers it needs to carry out a proper study.



But Cheung said the public should wait and see how the IPCC's report on the unrest turns out, adding that the police had pledged to cooperate with the study.



The watchdog's interim report is expected to be published next month, but it will only cover protest-related events up to July 1.