"UTTERLY DISSATISFIED."

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 104, 1 May 1920, Page 12

"UTTERLY DISSATISFIED."

j PUBLIC SERVICE DEMANDS. j INSIST ON 'WAR BONUS. j INCREASE OF (it PER CENT. i (By Telegraph.-Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Friday. ■j A statement regarding the salary - claims 0 f employees iv the Public Service 1 was made to-day by Mr. F. W. Millar, ; general secretary oi' the Public Service .Association, which comprises all the Gov- i - eminent Departments (including the' ••Police Force) other than the Post OUice I : -and Railways Departments. '| '" An adequate cost-of-living increase is j iour paramount need," said Mr. .Miliar.) *' Shortly, our claim is that we should j -receive an increase of (U per cent oh the ; pre-war basic wage, which was assessed " 'by the Public Service Commissioners, i when reviewing our service on April 1, ■!l01!), a t £l(j.") per annum. The percenItage of increase quoted is tliat which the Government announced through tho Board of Trade as the cost-of-living increase. Tn both cases we arc taking the Government's own figures, and if our claims are granted the increase in the salaries of all adult officers will be £102 per annum, whether the salaries are £1,000 per annum or only per annum. We recognise in the event of tlie cost of living decreasing that our j salaries should be readjusted accordingly, | and we have given our undertaking as an organisation to the Prime Minister . that we are prepared to accept a rea- | sonable decrease on any improvement j made in our present salaries over and iabove our existing classified salaries." | ! Here Mr. Millar* explained that the j 1 service was content to leave it to the i Public Service Commissioner to assess tho value of specific positions in the Public Service, as each individual had the right of appeal. But the Public .Service Commissioner was bound to the salary scale introduced 1010, which provided ill the cases of the lower-salaried officers, for improvements in the scale hitherto existing for the cost-of-living increase— ■assessed accbnling to the Public Service! Commissioner's published statement at, roughly, 27 i per cent on a basic wage iof £165 per annum, or £43 per annum. I " The service is utterly dissatisfied j with the Government's failure to recognise the position," he continued, "and it lis not going to rest -until relief is 1 granted. Throughout the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet .have maintained that what one section j lof the service is granted others must be ; granted. As a con-sequenl-e it was de- ! cided to extend to us, as from January j [1. 1920, the war bonus recommended by j Mr. -Justice Stringer for railway cm- j ployees, and our dissatisfaction is no less than theirs. To m__kc matters worse, j the war tonus stated to have been extended also has not loomed large on tbp Cabinet's horizon since the general election. '* Summarised, our position is this:— The average cost-of-living increases granted to the Public Service have been as follows: —Officers receiving salaries up ,to £100 per annum were granted a I bonus of £45 as from April 1, 1!)10. and 'another of £15, as from January 1. 1020; (officers with salaries from £400 to £500 ihave received bonuses of £25 and, £15; • officers with salaries of over £500 received one bonus of £25. The increase i jin the cost of living has been 62 per cent, or £102 on the pre-war basic wage •of £165 per annum. I '* At present, in spite of the general prosperity, many of our lower-paid mem|bers have been compelled to reduce their ] pre-war standard of living to enable | them to keep from running too deeply ! into debt, and there is considerable bitterness a-t the failure of the Government to recognise the position* and to grant the relief which it has assisted in securiing for private employees who have been engaged in the same struggle. We are at present pressing merely for such increases as will place public servants' sala ; rics on the pjre-war purchasing basis." j ."SIT-PORT FROM OTHER CENTRES. (By Telegraph. —Press Association.) ,| WESTPORT. this day. 1 At a meeting of he Westport section - jof the Post and Telegraph Officers'i I Association, the fallowing resolution wa s ; | earrie r . unanimously:— the exe-n-j ' tive appeal for a substantial increase in! !j salaries, an.l, failing to obtain same that] j a ballet, be taken w.;h a view to drastic; action." [ 1 BLENHEIM, this day. | I .At a largely attended meeting of theMarlborough section of the F. and T. : Officers' Association, a resolution was j passed expressing confidence and appreI ciafcion of the executive's efforts to . secure the overdue war bonus and a sub- , st ant in 1 increase in salaries, also giving .whole-hearted support, to the executive •! in any action it sees fit to take. J STRIKE BALLOT SUGGESTED. |By Telegraph:- -Own Correspondent.) HAMILTON, this day. A large and enthusiastic meeting of the W'aikato and King Country branch of the Post and Telegraph Officers' Association resolved: (1) That the executive be instructed to call the Executive ' Council to Wellington within three days. (2) That it be an instruction to the delegates at the conference, in the event of constitutional methods failing, that a. ballot be taken tn ascertain from the service their views as to further action. ' i (3) That this meeting pledges itself to give moral and financial assistance to ' [ the raihvaymep in their fight for a just land equitable living wage. (-1) In the [ I event, of the railwayuaen experiencing I acute distress as a result of the strike, 'iihis meeting pledges itself to assist '.financially to the extent, of 10 per cent ■'of salaries. 15) That this meeting in-" '*! struct- delegates to bring before the 1 i conferer.ee its opinion that the salary ' ■ pnid at present is a sufficient basic j salary, but owing to the increased cost •of li\ - in_r a bonus commensurate with I such increase be demanded. such to be revised every six months. (G) The con- ' fereuce to be instructed to continue t<> pross the demands for an outstanding i war "-"unis from April 1. 1010.