Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that her government will not make a decision on a pay adjustment for civil servants, so as to leave more room for the next administration to manoeuvre.

“I know that some of my colleagues in the civil service and unions may be a bit disappointed. But leaving it to the next government doesn’t mean we have already arrived at any standpoints that may please or upset some people and that we are avoiding that,” she said.

“It’s only that this will allow room for the next government to decide on a matter that has a bearing on its governance.”

Lam said postponing discussions on the matter won’t have any real impact, because any change will be backdated to the start of the financial year on April 1.

She also said the issue has been more contentious this year, because there are views that the suggested pay rise for senior civil servants is way higher than increases in the private market.

The government-appointed Pay Trend Survey Committee earlier endorsed salary increases of 2.04 percent for junior civil servants, 4.55 percent for middle-ranking workers and 7.26 percent for senior staff.

But the Executive Council will make a decision on the matter, taking into account other factors like Hong Kong's economic situation, the consumer price index and staff morale.

The head of the Senior Government Officers’ Association, Lee Fong-chung, said it’s understandable for the government to postpone the salary adjustment until the next CE takes office, but he hopes the matter won’t drag on for too long.

Lee noted that the final decision will also affect government contract staff and non-governmental organisations who may not backdate any increases.

He said people may find the proposed salary rise of more than 7 percent for senior civil servants to be controversial, but this accurately reflects the pay trend of fiscally prudent private companies.