'Sacking Of Govt Staff Should Be After A Verdict'

The chairman of the Federation of Civil Service Unions, Leung Chau-ting, said on Monday a threat to sack civil servants if they are charged with taking part in ‘unlawful public activities’ may result in people losing jobs even before a verdict is reached in the case.

Leung said the government should wait until the worker in question is convicted.

The union head said Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip's remarks that civil servants on probation will be dismissed if they are arrested and charged with taking part in unsanctioned assemblies were worrying for civil servants, and questioned how employees' rights can be protected.

Speaking to an RTHK radio programme, Leung said that the government's actions would be understandable if the civil servant in question was convicted and punished, but if the court decides to dismiss a case or if a civil servant is found innocent, then that person would have lost their job for no good reason.

He said that the new measure has also given rise to concern among some civil servants that they could be dismissed if their personal political views are slightly incompatible with the government's.

Speaking on the same radio programme earlier, Nip dismissed concerns saying that certain evidence is needed for police to lay charges, and the government would learn about each specific case before firing any officers.

He said the government has strict requirements on the conduct of civil servants, and has zero tolerance for illegal acts.

Nip said ultimately the heads of departments have the responsibility of assessing whether or not someone is suitable for a civil servant position during the probation period.