【明報專訊】The government has proposed an across-the-board pay rise of 2.5% for all civil servants this year. Civil service staff associations have expressed disappointment one after another and requested a readjustment by the authorities. The decision on the salary adjustment arrangement for civil servants is based on six factors of consideration. The results of the pay trend survey (PTS) form only one of them. The argument that "failure to stick to the survey results is to deviate from the mechanism" is invalid, not to mention the fact that this year's PTS results were obviously affected by a string of special factors and cannot fully reflect the actual situation of the business sector and the impact of the fifth wave of the pandemic. The pay rise suggested by the government is approximately in line with the city's overall inflation over the past two years. It is much more reasonable than dishing out a salary increase of 7.26% for high-ranking civil servants following the PTS. In order to reform the civil service, not only should leadership capabilities and coordination be strengthened, but a "clear system of rewards and penalties" should also be created. The promotion and salary increase of high-ranking civil servants should be linked to their job performance rather than their seniority or the fact that others have also received pay rises.