CIVIL SERVICE MORALE

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng asked the Minister for Finance what is the general morale of workers in the civil service and whether there are plans to further improve management-worker relationship.

The Minister for Finance (Mr Hon Sui Sen): Mr Speaker, Sir, the general morale of workers in the Civil Service is excellent. I do not know of any need for special plans to further improve management-workers relations, but I always welcome any suggestions which may be made by Members of Parliament or anyone else. I hope the Member for Mountbatten will write to me if he has any particular point to make. I promise to give it my utmost consideration.

Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng (Mountbatten): Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Minister aware of a general complaint that there is a lack of consultation between the management and workers within the Civil Service and that instructions are usually shoved down the throats of those at the lower levels without due consideration for their workload?

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Sir, I am not aware of this particular problem. But if there were such a problem, I would expect that a Civil Service association would bring this up or through their unions, that is, the teachers' unions or whatever unions they have.

Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng: Mr Speaker, Sir, in case the Minister for Finance is also not aware, can I raise another point to alert him that there is also a general complaint that suggestions from the workers do not sometimes go up so as to be given due consideration.

Mr Hon Sui Sen: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thought we welcome suggestions to such an extent that we are prepared to pay for those which are constructive.