Are Hong Kong civil servants being punished for Tai Po fire with flat 2% pay rise?

Unions in Hong Kong warn that factoring the Tai Po fire into a civil service pay review has hurt staff morale and may create perceptions of populism, as a proposed 2% pay rise is seen as insufficient to offset inflation or reflect performance. Human resources experts argue public sentiment must be considered due to the use of taxpayers' money, with the modest increase having limited impact on the private sector.