Opposition criticises industrial situation

Press, 13 February 1986, Page 3

Opposition criticises industrial situation

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

The worst industrial situation he could ever recall was criticised by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr McLay, yesterday.

He said the public, in the words of the late Norman Kirk', had “had a gutsful,” and so had the Opposition, of the selfserving frolics which were creating a serious situation.

There was deep concern about industrial action 'by traffic officers, hospital workers, laboratory technicians, and others.

Some disputes were over ridiculous issues, Mr McLay said, such as that by the rubbish collectors in Mangere about whether the workers could swear at the boss, and others were about trivial

amounts of money. The main problem was wages, and New Zealand was now seeing wage-fix-ing by strike.

“But the Minister of Labour, ‘Sideline Stan’ (Mr Rodger), sits on the sideline and does nothing,” he said. “The Minister is not just a poor performer; he is a nonperformer.”

What was needed was not intervention in disputes but a proper wage-fixing system and the use by the Minister of the powers he had under statute. If inflation were under control the problems would never have arisen.

“We do not advocate wage controls, but we see nothing wrong with a tripartite agreement between the Government, employers and unions, on guidelines,” Mr McLay

He said the Govern-

ment had used the report of the Higher Salaries Commission as a red herring, although he agreed its timing was unfortunate. The State itself was leading a “wage explosion” which would have very serious consequences for the economy. The present national wage-fixing system rewarded the unproductive along with the productive, and last year’s level of inflation became this year’s wages claim. Breaking out of the wages freeze had been critical, and the Government had not handled this well, Mr McLay said. Whatever beliefs one held about the freeze, it had had benefits for inflation which had since been dissipated. The Opposition planned to target weak Cabinet Ministers this year, and one of these would jie the Minister of Labo® Mr Rodger.