CIVIL SERVANTS DISCONTENTED AT DELAY

Grey River Argus, 13 November 1948, Page 4

CIVIL SERVANTS DISCONTENTED AT DELAY

In Impoving Wages Rates WELLINGTON, Nov. 12. “State service employee organisations, representing employees in the Railways, Post and Telegraph and departments under commission control .take the strongest possible exception to Mr Nash’s statement, tnat ‘questions of anomalies now at issue will be referred for decision to a tribunal which it is proposed to set up for the Public Service under commission control,” said Mr J. Turnbull general secretary of the New Zealand Public Service Association. Mr Turnbull’s statement was made on behalf of the State service employee organisations .represented on the margins and anomalies committee. “Mr Nash failed to tell the public that these ‘anomalies’ are nothing less than proved under-payment of State servants, as compared with other comparable workers and the contracted margins for skill and responsibility throughout the services. He also failed to tell the public that these ‘anomalies’ have already been represented and discussed for over a year and that two-and-a-half weeks ago he told a deputation representing the six organisations that immediate consideration would be given to the reports received and the earliest possible decision would r>s given on the rates of labourers, tradesmen and basic grade clerks as at October 1, 1947.” Government Printers Make Protest P.A. WELLINGTON, November 12. A “five-minute protest pause” was held to-day in the Government Printing Office of sections of the staff who have, it is stated, not yet benefited by a promise of the Government in April last to raise salaries in accordance With the findings of the Margins and Anomalies Committee. Resolutions were passed, protecting at the failure of the printing office group and the Public Service Association to approach again the Acting Prime Minister regarding the Commission’s failure to implement fully the Government’s undertaking to printing office workers. Strong dissatisfaction was voiced at the Association’s failure to follow up a statement made by the Prime Minister at. the last annual conference to the effect that he was pleased to be able to announce that the salary claims of the printing office workers had beer; settled. Mr Turnbull said this afternoon that the Acting Prime Minister had been asked last Friday to receive a deputation on this question, but no reply had been received from MrNash. QUESTION OF RULING RATES Mr Turnbull’s statement continued: “These reports arose from the work of a committee which the Government agreed set up over a year ago at the request of the organisations. It was composed of six representatives of the employing authorities —the Public Service commission, the Railways Department, and the Post and Telegraph Department—and six representatives of the employee organisations. On June 14 last it made a unanimous report to the Government recommending that the wages of labourers and tradesmen in the State services be increased by varying amounts as at October 1, 1947, to bring them into line with ruling rates of payment in industry. “The Committee failed to agree on what was the ruling rate for clerks comparable to basic clerks in the State services, but the employee members considered that evidence was overwhelming, and brought down a report on September 7 accordingly. The last report dealing with margins tor skill and responsibility was made on October 7. A month’s work was entailed in collecting and examining masses of evidence which supported these reports, and now the Government, without even consulting the employee organisations, has decided to pursue further delaying tactics by referring the matter anew to a tribunal which the Government well knows is not desired by most of the organisations, and in respect of whose constitution, powers, and order of rercrence none of the organisations has been consulted. DELAYING TACTICS ALLEGED “Even if the organisations were prepared to accept a tribunal of the kind suggested, it is ludicrous to suggest that such an imporant piece of legislation could be introduced ‘next week’ in a form acceptable to all of the organisations concerned. We do not believe that even Mr Nash thinks this possible, and the whole move is obviously merely an extension of delaying tactics followed throughout. State employees are entitled to an immediate decision the three rates referred to. Such a decision will mereiv rive them as at October 1, 1947, the same rates of wages as their opposite numbers in private enterprise enjoyed at that date. Until some satisiactorv settlement of these rates is reached, the employee organisations will have nothing to do with the proposal, which is obviously intended to keep their members bn depressed wage rates for a further indefinite period. Employee organisations. covering railways, and post and telegraph departments under commission control have asked the Acting Prime Minister to receive a deputation immediately,” tfio statement concluded.