P. and T. Employees Seek Classification

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 801, 23 October 1929, Page 10

P. and T. Employees Seek Classification

NOT “CUT” RESTORED ECONOMIC REMUNERATION “If the cost of the cut restoration was £.1.000.000 a year, the Civil Service has been specially singled out for a yearly taxation of that amount.” So said a representative of the Post and Telegraph Employees’ Association and the Telegraphic Economic Committee to The Sun this morning, in ail expression of opinion on the Prime Minister’s statement on the question of salary ‘Tuts’’ yesterday. “The Post and Telegraph employees don’t want the return of the ‘cuts,’ he continued. ‘‘What they want is a classification on an economic basis of, value for services performed.” The schedule of increases as far as demanded by the Post and Telegraph actually amounted to less than £200,000. “This would not cost the taxpa\ r ers anything as we have more than £400,000 in the Depreciation Account,” he said. “In the opinion of members, the Government’s attitude is nothing more than a smoke-screen to hide our just claims for a fair salary for efficient social service rendered to the community. The Post and Telegraph employees are firmly convinced that the economic value of their services to the community is worthy of higher remuneration. They now have their backs to the wall, and will keep on fighting until their moderate demands have been complied with.” PROTEST MADE

The claims of the members of the Post and Telegraph Department for better treatment in the matter of salaries are urged in the following resolution which was passed yesterday at a meeting of the Auckland branch of the Post and Telegraph Employees’ Association: . That the Auckland section of the Post and Telegraph Employees’ Association views with grave disgust the failure of the Government to so far carry out its undertaking to investigate the claims of the service for salary improvements. The claims of the employees have been before the Government for a considerable time, without any definite - reply, and this section requests that immediate attention be given to our just demands for equitable treatment more in accordance with other Government departments. We also protest*- against the treatment meted out to our officers by the present Government, with regard to the long overdue reclassification of the service, and we strongly object to this service being made the ‘clioppingblock’ for the failure of the past Government to subsidise the . superannuation fund, thereby using such deficiency as a lever against our just claims. Further, it is a disgrace to the Government to pay its employees, having considerable service a wage equivalent only to that paid to unskilled labourers; and also the miserable wage paid to some of our junior officers, who, although having attained the age of man’s state, receive the munificent sum of £IOO per annum.