Civil servants lose pay-cut challenge A judge has ruled that the government's decision does not contravene the Basic Law, and pay can go down as well as up.

(From South China Morning Post)

Byline: Sara Bradford and Klaudia Lee

The first legal challenge mounted by Hong Kong's civil servants to a controversial decision to cut their pay was defeated yesterday when a court ruled their constitutional rights had not been breached.

Delivering his ruling in the Court of First Instance, Mr Justice Michael Hartmann said the government was required by the Basic Law to seek fiscal stability, and Hong Kong's mini-constitution made allowance for the fact that civil servants' pay could be adjusted down, as well as up, in regular reviews.

The decision came in response to a judicial review launched against the …