A civil service union said on Wednesday that it will ask the administration to offer an across-the-board, 4.65 percent pay rise to all civil servants.

The Chinese Civil Servants’ Association made the call after meeting with authorities to discuss the Executive Council’s proposal for a 2.87 percent pay increase for senior civil servants and a 4.65 percent rise for middle and lower-ranking staff.

The association's president, Li Kwai-yin, said the group decided to ask for a lower increment than the across-the-board hike of 5.1 percent it had previously called for, after considering social harmony and the government's fiscal position.

She said giving senior staff a bigger pay rise has a lot of benefits.

"The number of senior-ranking civil servants isn't that large. If we propose an across-the-board 4.65 percent hike for senior, middle and junior staff, the government can handle it financially, and it may have a multiplier effect," Li said.

But Exco convenor Regina Ip said the administration is not in a position yet to provide bigger pay rises for top government workers.

"We are not yet in the state of robust recovery. Secondly, the level of inflation is about two percent, and the government's fiscal position, our reserves are down to about HK$800 billion, which is only adequate for use for 12 months," Ip said.

"When the final pay package is approved, it will cost us over HK$10 billion."

Exco will make a final decision on the pay hike proposal before submitting it to the Legislative Council.

If approved, the increment will take effect retroactively from April 1.