P. & T. OFFICERS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 185, 1 May 1920, Page 8

P. & T. OFFICERS

DEMANDS FOR BETTER PAY

INTERVIEW WITH MINISTER NEXT WEEK V

A meeting of the. Wellington branch of the Post and Telegraph Ollicers' Assoc:ation was held yesterday, and members of Parliament were present by invitation. They were asked to attend in order that, they might learn for themselves how matter sstood, and use their influence with tiio Government to secure for the Post, and ' 'telegraph Association an interview with the • Prime Minister and the .Postmaster-General by which tho association . representatives establish the claims of members of -lie association to a proper living wage. Three members of the House, Dr. Newman, Colonel Mitchell, and Mr. H. Field, waited on Mr. Massey immediately after the meeting and arranged the interview. It is to take place as soon as the Postmaster-General (Mr. -Coatcs) returns to Wellington,, probably next Tuesday.

STRONG AUCKLAND'RESOLUTION. • 'By TelecraDh—Presa Association. Auckland, April 30. ' The executive of tin) Auckland section of the Post and Telegraph. Officers' Association to-day carried the following liot-ly-worded resolution: —"We consider the shelving of tho war bonus psomised by Sir Joseph, Ward to be a disgrace to any Government and iiu insult to the intelligence of members of the Post and Telegraph Service. We desire that the Press be fully advised that, despito frequent requests within the last few months, no interview with vthe Premier or the Post-master-General has'been granted. Tlie time is now opportune to press the claims of the service in conjunction with those of the railwaymen tlmt definite salaries,excluding bonuses, be fixed immediately, such/salaries to be based upon the relation of the cost of living now and that obtaining in 1914. In our opinion the ■Government itself is causing the discontent by not fixing salaries on a fair basis as it has made other, employers do, and any strike which has been or will be the outcome, of such dilly-dallying will bo entirely warranted. To impress on tho Goverumejit the feelings of tho men, we ask that the Executive Council be called together immediately, and failing consideration of our demands the executive instruct all branches to call stop-work meetings to consider what further action shall he tnken."

TIMARU RESOLUTIONS. By TelcEranh—Press Association Timaru, April 30. At a well-attended meeting of the Timaru branch of the Post and Telegraph Officers' Association, the following resolutions were passed:— "That tliis meetijig strongly resents the Prime Minister's discourteous treatment of our Executive Committee in refusing. to arrange an interview as previously promised.- Wo now request the executive to demand the right to be heard, and that the Prime Minister bt; 'requested to arrange an interview forthwith ; and, further, we again press for the immediate payment of the war bonus promised by Sir Joseph Ward. Failing ii'Teasonablu attitude on the'part of the Prime Minister, wo request the to arrange at; once for the taking of a secret ballot to decide on a course of action.'' "Tlnat. this-meeting tenders to the rail; waymen' its.best wishes for a. successful and early termination of their-fight for invprovod conditions, and informs this association's executive that'it is favourable to a strike levy to assist financially ;tho men affected."

' OTHER RESOLUTIONS. By ToleeraDli—Press' Association. Westport, April 30. ' At a meeting of the Westport section of the Post and Telegraph Officers' Association the following resolution, was carried unanimously:—'"That the 'executive appeal for a substantial increase in salaries; in the event of its foiling to obhim sncli increase, let a ballot be taken with a view to drastic action." • Palmerston North, April 30. The chairman of 'the Manawatu section of the P. and T. Officers' Association Says tlmt tile association received a telegram from v Wellington headquarters' to-day asking '• what action the section would tako if the Government continued to side-step an interview, 'L'lio reply suggested that stop-work meetings should bo called iii every office on Monday next.

, PUBLIC SERVICE SALARIES PRE-WAR PURCHASING BASIS DEMANDED F, W, Millar, general secretary : of tho New Zealand. Public Service Association, which comprises all Government Departments other than the Post Ollico and Railways Departments, issued a statement yesterday in regard to the salary claims of members of tho Pn'blic Service which his; organisation embraces. "Wo are slightly better off," he said, "than the Post aud Telegraph employees, because we have actually succeeded in interviewing tho Prime. Minister, if that, bo any satisfaction, but we have not so far secured any result which we consider common "justice merits in 'regard to a -reasonable increase in our existing salary 6calo to meet the still mounting living oost, though wo secured from him a promise that legislation would bo introduced next session with the object of providing inuch-needed amendments to the Public Service Act. He was also sympathetic in' regard to our claim for increased travelling • allowance, which still remains at IDs. per day for officers'drawing salaries of .£«)(] per "annum nnd under, although officers in tho Post Office similarly situated have been paid for somo time past a't the rato of 12s. (id. per day. This in-the face of the Government's expressed desire for uniformity 'in the tlueo largest sections of tho Public Service—the Eailways, tho Post Office, and tho General Service—when a universal scale for the clerical oflicers of tlieso sections was introduced but a year ago.

"An adequate cost of living increase is, however, the paramount need, and shortly our claim is that we receive a 62 per cent, increaso on the pre-war basic wage, which was assessed by tho Public Service Commissioner, when regrndiug our service on April 1, 1919, <it .£165 per annum. The iiercentage of increase quoted is that which tho' Government lias announced through the Board of Trade as the cost of living increased. In Doth "ases then, we arc taking the Government's own figures, and if our . planus aro granted, the increase in salaries attached to positions of all adult officers will bo i:102 per annum, whether such positions are carrying salaries of ,£1(H1() per annum or only JIM per annum. Wo recognise that in tho event of tho cost of living decreasing, our salaries should lib readjusted accordingly, and we have given our undertaking ns an organisation' to the Prime Minister that wo aro prepared to accept a reasonable decrease on any improvement made in our present salaries over and above our cxistin,: classified salaries." Mr. Millar oxplained that the sorvice was quite content to leave it to the Public Service Commissioner to asses? the value of. specific positions in tho Public Service, as each individual had tho right, if dissatisfied with any salary decision, to have his position reviewed h,- an independent tribunal in the PubMi'c Service Board of Appeal. But tho Public Scrviee Comnvsaioner was bound by tho salary scale introduced in Apr.il, 1919, which orovided in the cases of lower salaried oflicers for improvements in the scalo hitherto crsling for a cost of living increase assessed, according to the Public Service Commissioner's published statement, at. roughly, 274 ptr ' cent, on a basic wago of A'lCs per an-nnin--iJJS per annum. ' "fi such circumstances. Sir. Millar continued, ".we are compelled in the existing abnormal to look to tho Government to grant relict nnd wo claim that section 2-1 of the Public Service Act, which provxles for. a rntfcalile increase or decrease in classified salaries should, be put into operation immediately. This was the course suggested b.v the Public Service Commissioner. when issuing last year's Public Service classification" list, in the event of a change in living conditions." Mr. Millar summarised tho position as follows

'Avctago Cost of Living Increases Granted. . Additional, From 1/1-19 From 1/1/20 1 Officers, to £100 per milium •£''>> •"5 Officers, from . to ,£SOO per annum <£25 £15 Officers, over i'soo per, unmim -£25 N it Increase iu cost of living, 02 per cent., or JtlA2 on pre-war basic wage of XlO5 per annum. "At the present moment," Mr. Millar concluded, "in spite of tlic general prospcritj-, many of our lesser-paid members have been compelled to reduce their prewar standard of living to enable them to keep from running too deeply into debt, and there is considerable bitterness at the failure of the Government to recognise the position, ami to grunt that, relief which it has assisted in securing for privato employees who have been engaged in the same struggle. We are at present pressing merely for such increases as will place Public salaries on a pre-war purchasing basis.