雙語社評齊齊聽

英語 (足本收聽)

普通話 (足本收聽)

【明報專訊】PUBLIC HOSPITAL DOCTORS demanded a 3% pay rise that senior civil servants had received. Tensions have eased after the government publicly endorsed the Hospital Authority's (HA) plan to utilise its internal resources to pay for the rise.

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公立醫院醫生爭取跟隨高級公務員額外加薪3%，在政府公開支持醫管局動用內部資源給予加薪之後，事態得以紓緩。

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The government has been in the wrong in this matter. Since the establishment of the HA twenty-five years ago, doctors' salaries have been pegged to those of civil servants, though the mechanism has never been written in black and white. Under the mechanism, which has been in force for so many years, doctors have had to accept a salary cut when the same thing has happened to civil servants. However, having given senior civil servants a 3% pay rise in accordance with the Pay Level Survey, the government refused to give the same treatment to doctors, saying that their salaries were not pegged to those of civil servants. The government even refused to let the HA use its internal resources to handle the crisis, which is a testament to its attitude: it is not happy unless it wins. This triggered a storm of protest from doctors, who staged their first sit-in in eight years. Even the heavyweights in the medical profession threw their weight behind the protesting doctors. All this is very understandable indeed.

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今次事件，可說是政府理虧。醫管局成立了25年，醫生薪酬之於公務員，雖無掛鈎之名，卻有掛鈎之實；透過歷年運作建立起來的一套機制，包括公務員減薪，醫生都要跟隨。因此，高級公務員根據薪酬水平調查而獲額外加薪3%，政府卻以不存在掛鈎為由，拒絕醫生跟隨加薪，即使醫管局提出以內部資源處理，政府也不批准，取態有輸打贏要之嫌。醫生群情洶湧，觸發8年來首次靜坐行動，醫學界重量級人物也群起響應，自是可以理解。

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As the government has changed its stance - though subtly - on the matter, we believe that the doctors will be given an extra 3% pay rise like senior civil servants. However, this will lead to two outcomes. First, the HA will utilise its internal resources to handle this incident. In other words, it will tap into its fiscal reserves for the extra pay rise, which will cost the HA around $200 million a year. The HA says that it will skimp on other expenditures so that its services for the public will not be affected. We can hardly believe such a promise. If it is the case that the HA can skimp on other expenditures, will it not mean that the HA has not been doing so all along and that it has been wasteful all along? If this is not the case, then we have to say that the HA is making such a promise simply to avoid the accusation that it will raise doctors' salaries at the expense of its services for the public.

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事態在政府含糊表態之後，相信醫生將比照公務員，獲額外加薪3%。不過，這會衍生兩種情况。首先，醫管局動用內部資源處理，就是以儲備作額外加薪，每年約需2億元；醫管局表示會在其他方面撙節，不影響對市民的服務。老實說，這個說法可信度成疑，因為若屬實，則反映醫管局長期應省未省，都在虛耗浪費；若非如此，那就是醫管局為了避免招來「給醫生加薪、減市民服務」的指摘，才有此一說。

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The government has given the green light to the extra pay rise. This implies that the HA will have an extra item of expenditure every year from now on, for which it has to tap into its fiscal reserves. Even if this will not affect its services, the HA's fiscal reserves will one day be used up. In this light, the HA is lying to others - as well as itself - by saying it can handle all this on its own. If the HA wants to give doctors the extra pay rise without affecting its services for the public, it will have no choice but to get more funding from the government. Only by doing so will the shortfall in its budget be covered. Otherwise the feeling that the HA is cutting its other expenditures to pay for the salary rise will linger.

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政府給醫生額外加薪開綠燈，意味着醫管局往後每年增加一筆開支，只靠儲備挹注；長此下去，即使撇開影響服務不談，儲備總有掏空之日。因此，若說由醫管局自行支應的說法，實際是自欺欺人。醫管局要做到醫生額外加薪而不影響對市民的服務，唯一可能是政府增加撥款，讓醫管局補回財政缺口，否則撙節醫療開支給醫生加薪的聯想，將揮之不去。

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The other outcome is the potential disagreement between the government and doctors. The doctors who staged the sit-in demanded not only a pay rise in accordance with the mechanism, but also that the mechanism, which has not be written in black and white, be continued. When discussing the matter with the doctors, the authorities once said that doctor's pay rises were the business of the HA, and that they had nothing to do with civil servants. It is understood that the government is inclined to let the HA compile a pay scale for doctors, so that there will not be any connection between the pay of doctors and that of civil servants any more. No doubt what has been in practice for twenty-five years can still be changed. However, has the government ever thought clearly about what should be done in the best interests of society, when it attempts to alter the pay structure of doctors? As doctors' pay has to do with pecuniary advantages, doctors will no doubt want to maximise their interests once negotiations on the matter begin. Disagreements and a tug-of-war will inevitably ensue. Our primary concern is whether it will affect the quality of medical services if doctors are campaigning for better pay.

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另一個情况是當局與醫生的潛在爭拗。今次醫生的靜坐行動，除了爭取按機制加薪，另外是爭取繼續沿用不成文的掛鈎機制。當局與醫生互動時，曾有說法或提過往後醫生加薪是醫管局的事，再與公務員無關。據知，當局傾向醫管局自行制訂醫生薪級表，徹底與公務員區隔。25年以來的做法當然可以改變，不過當局有沒有想清楚，現在搞醫生薪酬架構的利與弊，怎樣才符合最大公衆利益？薪酬涉及現兜兜利益，一旦啟動磋商，醫生肯定爭取利益最大化，屆時無可避免衍生紛爭和角力。若醫生投身爭薪酬活動，會否影響醫療服務，首要須關注。

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明報社評2015.10.26

Presented by lecturers of Hong Kong Community College, PolyU and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Ms Shirley Yau

Lecturer, HKCC

www.hkcc-polyu.edu.hk/staff_directory/social_communication/details.php?id=341&lang=eng

Dr CHENG, Christine Ching-fong

Lecturer, HKCC

www.hkcc-polyu.edu.hk/staff_directory/social_communication/details.php?id=321&lang=chi

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