Civil servants want 6.5 pct wage rise

2011-12-29
來源：Macau Daily Times

The Chinese Civil Servants Association representatives with the Chief Executive

The Chinese Civil Servants Association urged the government to increase salaries of public workers by 6.5 per cent next year. The association representatives met yesterday with the Chief Executive and submitted a list of demands for next year.
The second main public workers organisation wants the wage index to increase to MOP 66. Earlier this year Administration staff received a pay rise of 5.08 per cent, as the wage index increased from MOP 59 to 62.
The association explained to Fernando Chui Sai On that Macaus budget surplus has been increasing four years in a row and is expected to continue to soar in 2012.
They pointed out that, according to the latest figures, public revenue has topped MOP 100 billion in the January-November period, 30 billion patacas more than the goal set by the Administration in its revised budget for this year, while gross domestic product continues to increase as well.
But the inflation rate has also been going up, the association added. The local consumer price index increased by 6.65 per cent year-on-year in November. At the same time the yuan has appreciated by over 30 per cent against the pataca, since the handover.
The 6.5 per cent increase will be necessary to ease the impact of inflation and yuan appreciation on living standards, they argued.
The proposal from the Chinese Civil Servants Association is a little bit lower than that of the main public workers association ATFPM, who suggests a seven per cent increase.
Both associations want to see the wage rise implemented with retroactive payments from January next year.
The government vowed to set up a committee to study the need for adjusting civil servant wages in the first half of next year.
There are high expectations that the government could follow civil servants suggestions, according to ATFPM president Joseacute Pereira Coutinho.

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