Higher Salaries for Public Service

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 60, 3 December 1937, Page 7

Higher Salaries for Public Service

-Pross Associalion >

GENERAL REGRADING Maximum in Lower Grades Raised TOTAL COST £371,000

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P * WELLINGTON, Las-c Mghf. " J The Frime Minister, in the course efi % statemenfc ia the House to-night, said: "The Supplemcntary Estimates, rrhich it ia proposed to introduce on Monday nest, will provide for increases In salaries to offlcers and employees of: tho State services and give effecfc to the general re-grading provisions as Erom April. The last general re-grading pras in 3929. As members will know, regrading is due every five years, but thefe has been no re-grading since 1929. "The present Governent, recognising that a review of salaries was necessary, arranged for re-grading to take place ■this year. The Government have already j Eully restored all salaries as from July j i, 1936, to the 1931 level. It was, howI gver, Tecognised that with the improve- ! ment in conditions and salaries outside i Ihe services some adjustment was necessary inside, particularly in regard to those employees in the lower salary group. "After reviewing all the relevant factors and after hearing the repre sentations of various staffi organisationi of all the services' the Goveriment hava decided to improve the salary scale foi the lower groups of the first division oi , clerical officers. The maximum salary for class VII is being raised from £295 to £305, and this salary will be reached one year earlicr than under the old scale. The actual comparison between the old and new seales is :

• «'The estimated aunual cost of these improvements this year for all services is £77,000. In addition it is being arranged .that an efficient clerk, when he has worked through class VII, will, after a reasonable interval, be allowed to proceed by increments to a salary of £335, the maximum of the next higher class. The impravements are not confined to those in the first division or clerical groups, but have been extended .to the second or general division groups in all services. Typical cases are the following: — "The best-known representative of the Post and Telcgraph Department. from the point of view of the public is the postman. Hitherto his maximum salary has been £240. This it is proposed to raise to £250 this year and £260 next year. "Adjultments 'of a similar nature but not necessarily to the same figure are being made in.maxima for other groups, sucli as Jinesmen,' tradesmen, chaffeurs, postal messengers, exchange elerks, and so on, .the .total estimated cost being £39,000. "In .the railways the adjustmenta already made in respect te the second division are estimated to cost on an annual basis £104,000. Improvements are also being made in the scales Of salary for general division employees of the public service under the Public Bervice Commisssioners and in the scales of pay for members of the defence forces and- other groups. "The salaries in the higher groups of the first division have been dealt with within the existing scales under the general re-grading seheme. Overdale officers— that is, those who are in, receipt of salaries beyond the £765; maximum, and under salary scales, also have been dealt with where it is con-j sidered necessary. Details of the last- j mentioned cases are shown in the Sup-j plementary Estimates, as in such cases! a speeific ' appropriation is necessary. j The salaries of heads of departments] and pther administrative officers havej also been Teviewe'd and particulars of j those dealt with appear in the Estim-j atea. ; "The total estimated annual iost of ; all the re-gradings is £37j,o00, divided as under; — ; Public Service (including Defence), £112,500. j ' Post and Telegraph, £125,500. / j Railways, £133,000. " Every endeavour will be mado to arraiige payment before Christmas. The Government recognise the splendid contribution rendcred by all branches of the Public Service to the development of the Dominion and trust that. eontinued efforts will be made to improve and extend the services so that the maximum • develOpment may be made to the benefit and advantag| of all our people." '

Old Scale. ' \ New Scalc* . £ £ i 80 80 95 95 115 135 155 155 180 190 " 205 210 230' ' 230 255 250 280 295 . 305