CLOSELY ASSOCIATED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 77, 1 April 1932, Page 5

CLOSELY ASSOCIATED.

CIVIL SERVICE AND LABOUR. DOMINION CONFERENCE. SUPERANNUATION ISSUE. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. No decisions have yet been reached by the combined conference of workers and Public Service organisations, which was resumed at the Trades Hall to-day. It is expected, however, that a definite policy will shortly be formulated to combat the Government's proposals for reducing wages, abolishing the compulsory clauses of the Arbitration Act, and increasing the unemployment taxation.

Attending the conference are 110 delegates representing 140 organisations and 90,000 workers. Delegates of three branches of the Public Service —the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, the Railway Tradesmen's Association, and the Post and Telegraph Officers' Association —are included. It is stated that representatives of the Engine-drivers, Firemen, and Cleaners' Association will be in attendance this afternoon. Altogether, 10,850 civil servants are represented. The conference this morning was devoted to the full discussion of the questions mentioned, and the debate was still in progress at the luncheon adjournment. It was stated that a suggestion had been made to the conference that a first step towards combating the Government's policy should be the establishment of councils of action in the four centres, w;th a cential body in Weilington, the contention being that, by this means, unity and expedition of action would be ensured. However, the conference has not yet definitely considered this proposition.

The belief is also held that steps may he taken to form an organisation, embracing, possibly, every section of employees throughout the Dominion on a "one big union" basis." Reports were current this morning that the P. and T. Officers' Association had decided to affiliate with the Alliance of Labour, but, when the question was referred to the secretary of the organisation (Mr. McKenzie) his reply was: "Nothing doing."

The close association of large sections of the Public Service with the conference is arousing considerable interest in Parliamentary circles. If the conference reaches a decision in favour of protest strikes, and one or more sections decide to affiliate with the Alliance of Labour, the Public Service organisations will be faced with a formidable difficulty, owing to the superannuation interests of their members.

The raihvaymen of the Dominion have had previous experience in this respect over a long period of years, in the 1890 strike which originated in the shipping industry. A number of Canterbury railwaymen struck work, refusing to load vessels at Lyttelton, and they were discharged from the service. Subsequently they obtained employment in the Department, but their superannuation service period was broken, and it took 20 years of representations and the payment of a substantial sum by their trade union before the broken period was allowed to be counted in the compilation of retiring allowances.

The point .again arose in connection with the 1924 railway strike, but the Government, on that occasion, agreed to overlook any break in the continuity of employment.