LCQ14: Acting arrangements for staff of Hongkong Post

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     Following is a question by the Hon Dennis Leung and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, in the Legislative Council today (May 10):

Question:

     Some frontline staff of Hongkong Post (HKP) have relayed that there are frequent changes in, or repeated extensions to, the duration for which the Postal Officers and Postmen of the organisation are arranged to take up acting appointments in higher ranks (i.e. Senior Postal Officer and Senior Postman). As the acting staff are not officially promoted to the higher ranks, they are still counted as Postal Officers or Postmen in the staffing establishment, and such arrangements have resulted in a manpower shortage of Postal Officers and Postmen, and affected the overall service quality of HKP. Regarding the acting arrangements for staff of HKP, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the numbers of staff holding the following ranks at HKP in each year from 2018 to March this year: (i) substantive and (ii) acting Senior Postal Officer, (iii) substantive and (iv) acting Senior Postman, (v) substantive and (vi) acting Superintendent of Posts, (vii)‍ Postman, (viii) Postal Officer, (ix) Assistant Controller of Posts‍ II, (x) Assistant Controller of Posts I and (xi) Controller of Posts, and set out in Table 1 a breakdown by type of acting appointment (i.e.‍ (a)‍ acting with a view to substantive appointment and (b) acting for administrative convenience) (applicable to acting staff only);
Table 1

Rank		2018	……	2023 (up to March)
(i)
(ii)	(a)
(ii)	(b)
(iii)
(iv)	(a)
(iv)	(b)
(v)
(vi)	(a)
(vi)	(b)
(vii)
(viii)
(ix)
(x)
(xi)

(2) of (I) the shortest and (II) longest duration of acting appointments, and (III) the median duration of acting appointments in the following ranks at HKP in each year from 2018 to March this year: (i) Senior Postal Officer, (ii) Senior Postman and (iii) Superintendent of Posts, and set out in Table 2 a breakdown by type of acting appointment (i.e. (a) acting with a view to substantive appointment and (b) acting for administrative convenience); and
Table 2

Rank		Duration of acting appointment	2018	……	2023 (up to March)
(i)	(a)	(I)
		(II)
		(III)
	(b)	(I)
		(II)
		(III)
(ii)	(a)	(I)
		(II)
		(III)
	(b)	(I)
		(II)
		(III)
(iii)	(a)	(I)
		(II)
		(III)
	(b)	(I)
		(II)
		(III)

(3) of the criteria adopted by HKP for arranging or changing the duration of acting appointments (including acting with a view to substantive appointment and acting for administrative convenience)?

Reply:

President,

     Hongkong Post (HKP) attaches great importance to maintaining reasonable and sufficient manpower in meeting service demand and ensuring service quality. The consolidated reply to the various parts of the question is as follows:

     HKP formulates human resources plan annually by reviewing staffing requirement based on business outlook and operational situations, and evaluating vacancy situation and the number of staff proceeding on retirement in the next few years. In accordance with the Civil Service Regulations and relevant guidelines, HKP has been conducting recruitment exercises for its various civil service grades and non-civil service contract staff positions, and selecting suitable officers for promotion and acting appointments through the established mechanism. When officers are recommended for promotion or acting appointment in the next higher rank through the promotion procedures, resulting in vacancies in the original rank, HKP will fill such vacancies through recruitment, recommending officers for promotion or acting appointment, and will not leave the vacancies unfilled owing to promotion or acting appointment in the next higher rank.

     In recommending officers for promotion or acting appointment (including acting with a view to substantive promotion (AWAV) or acting for administrative convenience (AFAC)), the promotion board will consider objective criteria, including the character, ability and experience of eligible officers, and the qualifications prescribed for the rank concerned (if any), etc, through fair and impartial process.

     If an officer recommended for AWAV appointment has displayed good character and satisfactory performance during the acting period, and can demonstrate that he/she is capable and suitable to perform the duties in the next higher rank, HKP may approve his/her substantive promotion upon expiry of the acting period. For an officer recommended for AFAC appointment, HKP will arrange him/her to act in the next higher rank when a suitable vacancy arises, and the promotion board to be convened next year will consider whether he/she is suitable for substantive promotion or should be arranged to continue the acting appointment.

     The length of the acting period of individual officer depends on his/her performance and whether he/she can demonstrate that he/she is capable and suitable to perform the duties in the next higher rank.

     From 2018 to 2023, the strength of Postman, Postal Officer and Controller of Posts grades and the number of officers taking up acting appointments in the next higher rank during each year are set out below:

	Rank	Strength (Figure as of December 31 each year)
	Rank	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023#*
Postman Grade
(i)	Senior Postman	378	358	344	327	329	350
(ii)	Postman	2 889	2 720	2 557	2 403	2 232	2 220
(a)	Number of officers acting Senior Postman with a view to substantive promotion@	66	59	44	28	39	30
(b)	Number of officers acting Senior Postman for administrative convenience@	16	39	36	41	44	0
Postal Officer Grade
(iii)	Superintendent of Posts	105	107	91	91	87	91
(iv)	Senior Postal Officer	444	425	400	374	360	399
(a)	Number of officers acting Superintendent of Posts with a view to substantive promotion@	14	19	4	8	8	0
(b)	Number of officers acting Superintendent of Posts for administrative convenience@	6	7	17	17	15	9
(v)	Postal Officer	1 095	1 042	1 000	1 011	960	919
(a)	Number of officers acting Senior Postal Officer with a view to substantive promotion@	27	27	8	0	0	0
(b)	Number of officers acting Senior Postal Officer for administrative convenience@	6	15	23	47	56	0
Controller of Posts Grade
(vi)	Controller of Posts	17	18	24	23	20	19
(vii)	Assistant Controller of Posts I	37	31	26	22	20	17
(viii)	Assistant Controller of Posts II	45	66	54	59	54	56

# The strength as of March 31, 2023.
* Officers recommended by promotion boards in 2022 have gradually taken up acting appointments in the next higher rank since early 2023.
@ Number of officers taking up the respective types of acting appointments during the year.

The length of the acting periods of the officers recommended by the promotion boards from 2018 to 2022 for acting Senior Postman, Senior Postal Officer and Superintendent of Posts is as follows:

Acting rank	Acting appointment	Acting period (Number of months)	Year of Promotion Board
Acting rank	Acting appointment	Acting period (Number of months)	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Senior Postman	AWAV	Shortest	3	3	3	3	Recommended officers have gradually taken up acting appointments in the next higher rank since early 2023
		Longest	3	3	3	3
		Average	3	3	3	3
	AFAC	Shortest	2	3	4	3
		Longest	6	6	5	4
		Average	5	4	5	3
Senior Postal Officer	AWAV	Shortest	3	3	-	-
		Longest	3	3	-	-
		Average	3	3	-	-
	AFAC	Shortest	6	6	4	3
		Longest	11	6	7	5
		Average	8	6	6	4
Superintendent of Posts	AWAV	Shortest	6	6	6	6
		Longest	6	6	6	6
		Average	6	6	6	6
	AFAC	Shortest	4	6	5	4
		Longest	11	9	11	10
		Average	7	7	6	6

In addition to the acting appointments made through the promotion procedures, individual divisions and sections may also arrange officers to temporarily take up AFAC appointments to meet management or operational needs (such as in the temporary absence of substantive holder owing to illness). Such arrangements are generally short-term in nature.

Ends/Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Issued at HKT 15:55

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