P. AND T. SALARIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 115, 16 May 1924, Page 7

P. AND T. SALARIES.

MINISTER'S REPLY. FAIR AND REASONABLE OFFER. COMPARISONS WITH OTHERS. (By Telegraph.—Tress Association.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Following is the text of a letter forwarded by the Postmaster-General to ■ the secretary of the New Zealand Post < and Telegraph Officers' Association: — "In reference to your letter of May 6, I have to inform you that when new j scchedules covering the Post and Tele- j graph Department were drawn up in 1919, an endeavour was made to provide | salaries which compared favourably with I those paid by outside employers. In- | quiry made before the schedules were | ■ recently revised showed that the present salaries are in many instances higher than those paid in outside employment. I consider that the schedules as now drawn up provide for a fair and reasonable payment for the work which officers are called upon to do, and I believe that the salaries now proposed compare i favourably with those paid in private j employment for work which can reasonably be compared with that done in the Department. i "The Government's proposalas were placed before your organisation' on April j 17 for comment, and although your asso- '■ ciation has commented on the schedules . j orally, and at very considerable length j in writing, I am unable to find in tbe | statements any evidence to show that , ! the salaries proposed by the Government for clerks and telegraphists are not so generous as those paid to clerks outside or that the proposed remuneration of | linemen, postmen, messengers, etc., is not. as high as that paid to persons doing work of approximately equal importance in private employment. Apparently your association is not aware that the Salaries proposed by it are considerably higher than those paid outside tho j Department. If the salaries proposed by j your organisation for linemen, postmen, ■ messengers, etc., were agreed to such men would be in the very happy position of receiving higher salaries than j those now paid to clerks employed in I banks, insurance and shipping offices and the officers of the largest local bodies. "It should be quite unnecessary for mc to remind you that the work done by the clerks I have referred to is worth more than the duties performed by the i rank-and-file officers of the general divi- | sion. Your association's proposals for I the clerical division also provide for . | higher salaries for clerks and telegra- t phists than are being paid to rank-and-file clerks employed by almost all the largest institutions in the Dominion. I fail to understand why a postal clerk in his eighth year of service should receive approximately £100 per asinuin more than a bank clerk of similar service, or why the departmental officer should be paid £110 to £124 per annum moro than a clerk in his eight year of service in an insurance or shipping office. "It is also not clear to mc why a postal officer, after eight years' training, is worth £150 per annum moro than j clerks of equal training employed by some of the largest local bodies. I am aware that when these comparison, are made your association replies that clerks ■ employed outside are grossly underpaid. If it would cost approximately £450,000 to bring tbe salaries and wages of 9137 post and telegraph employees up,to the standard laid down by your association, it would be interesting to know what amount would be required to bring the many thousands of other employees in the Dominion up to the same standard.''