News from GITPA (June 2022)

MEETING WITH THE REGISTRATION AND ELECTORAL OFFICE

The meeting between GITPA and the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) was held on 9 June 2022.  Before the meeting, we had passed our collected comments to REO for their reference.  We reflected our comments and deliberated suggestions for the 2021 Legislative Council General Election (LCGE 2021), as highlighted below –

• Define clear roles and responsibilities of APRO(IT) as an IT coordinator role for supervising the Electronic Poll Register (EPR) System setup at the polling stations instead of conducting hands-on tasks by themselves;
• Secure capable and experienced IT technicians to support the EPR System setup at the polling stations;
• Engage more than one vendors for IT technicians and equipment logistics to share the workload and risks;
• Enlarge the pool for APRO(IT) such as to consider Computer Operator grade, EMSD technical staff, ITMU officers other than AP, and T-contract staff;
• Review and redefine the roles and responsibilities of other electoral staff to provide necessary support and backup to APRO(IT);
• Strengthen Elite Team and distribute more team members for regional support such as incident handling and helpdesk responses to improve the problem-solving efficiency;
• Improve the logistics support such that adequate equipment for supporting the EPR System setup could be arranged;
• Arrange on-site inspections (recce) with APRO(IT) or Elite Team and/or provide photos and site sketch with the LAN port and power socket location clearly marked well before the Set-up Day for planning the EPR System setup; and
• Provide sufficient training but extend the training period to avoid drawing staff from their offices extensively 2 weeks before the Polling Day.

In the meeting, the REO expressed appreciation to the professional supporting efforts from APRO(IT)s and the Elite Team contributed to the success of LCGE 2021.  The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) appreciated our constructive comments, and was very impressed that over 300 AP Grade staff provided their valuable suggestions in every part.  It would be helpful for their review and consolidation to improve the future election arrangement.

As the labour union of the AP Grade staff, we stand ready to embrace views from members and represent members to liaise with Grade Management and other parties.  Please allow us to represent you by joining and supporting the GITPA.  Without you, our power would not be strong enough.  To join us or renew your membership, please contact your site representative or GITPA’s membership secretary at https://gitpa.org.hk/membership-application-renewal/.

GITPA ExCo 2022-23

News from GITPA (May 2022)

The GITPA Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2022 was held on 18 May 2022 (Wednesday).  In the meeting, the ExCo 2021-22 gave an account of GITPA’s work and the financial position in the past year.  The new ExCo 2022-23 was duly elected.  We would like to thank all members for your support and participation to make this AGM successful!  Let’s meet our new ExCo for 2022-23:

Left to Right:
(back) Davy CHAN, Holman TAI, Alfred TO, Justin TO, Wilson TAM, Raymond Yip, Ted WONG, Theo CHU, Shirley LAI, Julian YUEN, Eva LEE, Mars YU, Winston LEUNG
(front) C H HO, Daniel MOK, Nicole WONG, Kelvin KWOK

For detail list of ExCo 2022-23 committee and supporting members, please visit: https://gitpa.org.hk/gitpa-executive-committee-2022-23/

Based on the works and experiences gained over the past year and drawing reference to the issues that members are most concerned about, our new ExCo will continue to embrace views from members and represent members to liaise with management on Grade matters, and to organise activities for members, providing positive momentum to the formation of an united AP grade.

In order for us to serve you better and continuously improve our services to you, we need new inputs and new ideas from you.  Please feel free to let us have your views by reaching our ExCo or via email: gitpa@ogcio.gov.hk.  We also look forward to seeing you in our upcoming activities and events!

GITPA ExCo 2022-23

News from GITPA (March 2022)

GITPALeaks 2022

To welcome our newly recruited APIIs, GITPA will hold a casual gathering GITPALeaks 2022 on 14 April 2022. GITPA ExCo will be sharing topics such as career development and continuous study during the vitural meeting. We look forward to meet our smart and enthusiastic new joiners! In addition, GITPA ExCo also prepared an “AP Grade 達人挑戰” with a number of challenge questions for you to see how much you know about our Grade.

In the meeting, the Grade Management expressed appreciation to APRO(IT)s’ and Elite Team’s dedicated efforts contributed to the success of the election, and would consider presenting the letter of appreciation to the colleagues concerned. The Grade Management also encouraged colleagues with specific needs to approach their Grade Manager for assistance or advice. You may access the challenge via the following link: https://forms.gle/EHbWpvKgkjF5jtTP9

Membership Renewal Exercise

It is time for GITPA membership renewal again! GITPA’s site representatives should have approached you for membership renewal already. Have you renewed your GITPA membership? If you haven’t done so or haven’t joined GITPA yet, please take this opportunity to join this only professional association that represents AP grade staff.

Your continual support is essential to sustain the development of our staff association. Surely GITPA will not succeed without your recognition, support and participation. Please continue to join and support GITPA as only you have the power to make GITPA serve and speak for you!

Tips for Fighting COVID-19

Under the recent challenging COVID-19 epidemic situation, it is important for us to keep up good hygiene to protect yourself and the people around you. Here are some health tips for your reference:

Stay healthy and safe!

GITPA Ex-Co 2021-22

News from GITPA (January 2022)

Feedback on the 2021 Legislative Council General Election

GITPA had received a number of enquiries and concerns regarding the recruitment of electoral staff for the 2021 Legislative Council General Election (LCGE 2021). As the labour union of the AP Grade, we believe that it is indispensable for us to represent our colleagues and reflect on the difficulties and issues encountered in the special duty. A survey was conducted from 22 December 2021 to 7 January 2022, and more than 300 replies representing nearly half of the appointed APRO(IT)s and Elite Team were received. We provided our collective feedback and had a meeting with the Grade Management on 21 January 2022 to reflect the collected comments and deliberate suggestions for the LCGE 2021.

In the meeting, the Grade Management expressed appreciation to APRO(IT)s’ and Elite Team’s dedicated efforts contributed to the success of the election, and would consider presenting the letter of appreciation to the colleagues concerned. The Grade Management also encouraged colleagues with specific needs to approach their Grade Manager for assistance or advice.

The Grade Management channelled our concerns to REO on 26 January 2022, and we have appealed to REO for critical review and serious consideration of our comments and suggestions. A follow-up discussion with the Chief Electoral Officer was scheduled for 7 April 2022. Further updates would be provided in due course.

Invitation for Contribution to GITPA Newsletter 2021-22

The next issue of the annual GITPA Newsletter is currently open for submission of articles. Following a series of international sporting events in 2021, we would like to know your story on sports or recreation activities. Feel free to share with us your stories by emailing GITPA/OGCIO/HKSARG. For further enquiries, please feel free to contact our editor Mr Arran LAI at 3855 6937 or email us.

GITPA Ex-Co 2021-22