TEMPORARY STATE EMPLOYEES

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22769, 22 July 1939, Page 16

TEMPORARY STATE EMPLOYEES

REPLY TO FEDERATION OF LABOUR “NOT IN POSSESSION OF ALL FACTS” WELLINGTON, July 21. In an interim reply to the statement recently issued by the Federation of Labour concerning temporary State employees, the secretary of the New Zealand Association of Temporary Publife Servants (Mr H. J. Underwood) said to-day:—“ The statement attributed to the Federation of Labour suggests that it is not in possession of all the facts regarding the activities of the temporary officers concerned. Otherwise I am certain that the federation would support the association I rep* resent, taut as the federation has not been approached by the association, the action it has taken is rather premature.” Mr Underwood said that the circumstances in which the statement by the federation had been made gave striking proof of how misunderstandings between that body and an organisation of workers could be caused by the federation’s failure to consult the workers in question. “The executive -is perfectly welli awarb,” continued Mr Underwood, “of the statements made by Messrs Walsh and Pharazyn, of, the clerks’ union, in connexion with the activities of the New Zealand Association of Temporary Public Servants, and certain of its officers. Time will prove the authenticity of such statements.” It was not proposed that the association would reply fully to the federation’s statement until it had been discussed at a general meeting to be held within the next fortnight. “I must, however, point out,” said Mr Underwood, "that, contrary to what appears to be circulating throughout the trade union movement, the New Zealand Association of Temporary Public Servants is not an organisation newly formed to oppose the Federation of Labour. It was formed and incorporated in May, 1936, and its policy has always been to cater for those temporary State employees who were not covered by award conditions or agreement, and who were not adequately represented by the Public Service Association or any other State employees’ organisation. In these circumstances, the suggestion that the association has been set up to pirate members from the existing craft unions is a ridiculous one, explained only by the attempt of the Clerks’ Union to absorb 2000 odd temporary State clerical workers who rightly should all be members of the New Zealand Association of Tempor~»ry Public Servants.” - .