Public Service and Wages Tribunal

Chronicle (Levin), 20 October 1949, Page 6

Public Service and Wages Tribunal

♦ WELLINGTON, Oct. 19. The jurisdiction of the Government Service Tribunal is extended to employees of the pubiic service receiving salaries up to £1060 a year, by a clause in the Government Serviee Tribunal Amendment Bill introduced in the House of Representatives^ tonight. The previous limit was £825. The Bill brings teachers, within the score of the legislation. Provision is made for the appointxnent of service representatives on the tribunal in accordance with joint nominations made by service organisations under an agreed system of voting. The power of the principal Aet to make orders relating to remuneration and conditions of service of employees in the pubiic service, is extended to apply to occupational groups and an order relating to such a group inay conform with any prououncement of the Court of Arbitration specifying standard rates of wages, or with any general order increasing or reducing rates of remuneration thac is made by the Court. The limitation on the time for applying for principal orders to replace existing orders, is removed by the Bill. At the request of any party to an application for an order, the Prime Minister shall appoint a conciliator whose duty it shall be to assist the parties to reach agreement on the sub ject matter of the application. If the conciliator thinks fit at the conclusion of proceedings or when the conciliator is satisfied further progress is unlikely, he sliall report in writing to the tri bunal the result of proceedings and shall forward with his report a state ment signed by the parties and himself, on the matters upon which agreement has been reached.. All applications to the tribunal shall be heard in pubiic unless the tribunal considers it is desirable proceedings should be held in private. Under the principal Aet assessors are not allowed to vote but, this provision has been repealed and assessors are in future to be deemed members of the tribunal for the purposes of the hearing and determination of an application. The Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, said the proposals were satisfactorv to the Pubiic Serviee Association, Teachers' Association, New Zealand Workers Union and were also acceptable to_ other small organisations of the pubiic service. A great deal of stress had been placed upon the advantages of more conciliation before a case went to the tribunal and the Bill carried that prin ciple into effeet, He thought teachers would have preferred a separate tribunal but the Bill was acceptable to them. Mr. Fraser said there was now little differenee between the conditions in the pubiic. service and private enlplovmnt and he thought it would be better if the Court of Arbitration governed the whole lot, with some subsidiary bodies. The Bill was read a first time.