THE PUBLIC SERVICE

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24600, 23 June 1945, Page 8

THE PUBLIC SERVICE

SALARIES AND WORKING CONDITIONS

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, June 22. Evidence given before the Public Service Consultative Committee by a number of groups of workers during the last few days was commented on to-day by the general secretary of the Public Service Association (Mr J. Turnbull), who is a member of * the Consultative Committee. "Most of us " said Mr Turnbull, “are cherishing dreams, the fulfilment of which must await final victory. A great number of public servants fmsome years have been working in overcrowded and unsuitable premises.” For example, the major part of the Government Printing Office in Welling dated back to 1888, and had been regarded as entirely unsuitable for at least 20 years. “An essential difference between the methods of fixing wage rates outside and inside the Government service was also brought into prominence by evidence presented on behalf of the Government Printing Office staff,” continued Mr Turnbull. “The wages of printers employed by private enterprise are governed by awards which fix the minimum rates payable lo craftsmen and other workers, while the Government rates fix the maximum for State employees. “The Arbitration Court recently approved an award which, while (akin*; full advantage of the recent ‘ceiling’ increases allowed, fixes rates which are considerably below those actually being paid to a number of workers affected. , 41 . , 4 “The Consultative Committee, in us task of formulating new scales for the entire Public Service, will no doubt come across other instances where the mere adoption of recent award rates would still leave State salaries well behind those paid to comparable workers in private industry, and it will be interesting to see how the problem is solved.”