WAGE REDUCTION.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20177, 4 March 1931, Page 8

WAGE REDUCTION.

PUBLIC SERVANTS* PROTEST. (rofSS M»QOATI0» TSHHHIAIf.) f WESTPOBT, March 3A meeting of public servants held in the Town Hall this evening resolved:"That this joint meeting of pnblie servants in the Buller district aervedly condemns - the Government's" wage and salary reduction proposals, which unfairly throws on the public servants (one-ninth of the wage-earn-ing population of the Dominion) the responsibility of providing one-third of the total anticipated deficit'of £4,000,000, and which makes no pretence Whatever of providing an equality of sacrifice either as between, the wealthy taxpayers and the public servants or as between the higher paid and'lower paid grades of the Public Service itself, "That this meeting further declares that the principle of equality of sacrifice demands that contributions of individuals towards an effort to balance the Budget'in a time of economic depression should be on a steeply graduated sfcale, and that the lower-paid? workers should be wholly exempt from ; 'cuts.' 1 "Finally we pledge ourselves to stand j by Our combined executive in whatever i steps they may take in the direction of opposition to the Government's policy ! as declared by the St. Hon. G. W. Forbes. We further strongly advise all public servants to support the Labour Party in its honest fight against the proposed redaction in our standard of living." Mr H. E,' Holland, Leader of the Labour Party, was present at the meeting by Invitation of the public servants and delivered an address. ,

PLAN OPPOSED. DECISION OP SEAMEN'S UNION. frjißS wsqcuTioji rotxaiux.) WELLINGTON, March 3. The Seamen's Union passed a resolution objeoting to the proposal of the Forbes Government to reduce the wages of Civil servants, railwaymen, and wen employed on public worts, and, further, opposing any power being given to the Arbitration Court to revise wages other than by the present method. In order to resist the threatening reduction, the meeting called upon- the unions to attend atf open conference I called by the Labour, Alliance to l agree; to a joint plan of campaign to light the proposed reductions, i A HAWERA PROTEST. j (IUII AESOCUTIOII Hl.]! ORAM.) j HAWESA, March 3. ■ A meeting of Hawera membori of the , Post and Telegraph Employees' Assp- | elation carried a resolution protesting emphatically against any ten per cent, reduction in salaries, and assuring thio Dominion Executive of support to any action to combat it. The meeting also expressed the opinion that if a reduction was unavoidable it should be. in the form of a. tax on a graduated scale.