Commission's View of Association's Attitude

Chronicle (Levin), 28 February 1947, Page 7

Commission's View of Association's Attitude

-Press Association

Bv Telearar.il —

WELLINGTON, Feb. 27. "Misleading statements have been made in the press and action that is discreditaole to the pablic service of NeW Zealana, has been countenanced bk executive onicers oi the Bublic Service Association," says a statement issuejl oy tne JVuolic Service Commission today. j "When in November last the new Bublic Service Uommission entered On its duties, it expressed its willingness to woi'K in fiill cooperation "with tke Bublic Service Association, a responaible body representing puuiic servants generally," tne statement adds. "Tiie Uommission is still reaidy. to cooperate. "The Comnjission has received numerous requests and represeutations from ihe executive of the association, many of wliicli, on being sliown to be reasonable, have been conceded. Oue request was that cbrtain rearrangements in respect to overtime in mental liospitals should be back dated. A decision had oeen giveu by a prtivious Conunissioner that a cliango should operafe from Oetober 1, 1946, and the association asked that it be back dated to April, 191(5." After expressing appreciation of the work being done by mental nurses, reierrmg to increases in pay already granted to tliem, and expressing the uope that further improvements would be made in future, the statement says that the case for back-dating overtime to April was not made by the associaiou. ' ' Whence the starting date of Oetober 1, 194(5"' the statement asks. "On this issue tliere are two relevant documents to both of which. the Publie Service Association was party. Concernuig the publie service as a whole, the report of the consultative comniittee on ialaries recommended a forty liour week. It was recognised that this couid not be introduced in all departments and all services forthwith. Cousequeutly the comniittee recommended a close investigation into all classes of work with a view either to reorganising work on a 4U liour week basis or to applying ' at that stage ' a new hourly rate of overtime. There was no reference in this ' report to payment from April 1 or anv other date.

"Secondly, applying to the staffing of mental liospitals is the report of a committee of inquiry on which the Publie Service Association was direetly represented. Deiiniteiy and specilically this committee, in favouring the payment of overtime rates for time worked in excess of the average of 40 liours per week, recommended this innovation as from October 1, 1946. This delinite recomniendation was sigued by a representative of the Publie Service Association. It was accepted and approved. • ' ' In spite of the elear statement in black and white enibodied in the report of the committee on staffing of mental uospitals" naming October 1 as the .recommended date, Alr. Lewin and Alr. fu'rnbull are reported to have broken of 'an agreements' to pay retrospectivelv from April. Docunients beiie thcir statement and tliey have seriously misled members of the Association and publie. ' ' Keferring to the threat of direct act,.011 tnrougn refusai to accept call-backs uhe statement says: "The Publie Service Commission taues a serious view of this anti-social action or threat. They ao not believe it would comniend itself .o decent tuoughtful publie servants or to other citizens. xt is an attitude disv.reu.uaoi3 to tne name oi the pubiic service, ior which the present executive heads of the association are responsihle. It is oovious to all that the only ^ection of the pablic who could suffer iTom the action taken can be the mental patient himself. The Pubiic Service Jommmsion wili not deal with the Puhic Service Association on the "basis of tlireats of this sort and will not countenance action by which patients in our mstitutions may sufl'er. " Accordingly ou Pebruary 25 by resolutiou of tiie Pubiic Service Commis.iiou, the executive oilicers of the Association wero inforuied that, pending their recousideratiou of their attitude, the Pubiic .Seivice Association will not be received b\ the Commission nor action taken 011 tlieir representatious until ihe positiou has been clarified. The Conimission, at the same time, reafiirmed a decision to pay overtime 011 the revised basis as from the recommended date of October 1, 1946.. This applies /to tlic prisons' service as well as to mental liospitals."