PUBLIC SERVANTS PLEASED

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24749, 14 December 1945, Page 9

PUBLIC SERVANTS PLEASED

SUPERANNUATION SCHEME

STATEMENT BY MR E. K BRAYBROOKE

The Superannuation Amendment Act had been favourably received by public servants, said Mr E. K. Braybrooke, chairman,of the Christchurch section of the Public Service Association, yesterday. Provisions of the act had been explained by the general secretary of the association (Mr J. Turnbull) at a meeting on Tuesday, when a resolution was carried as follows:—“ That this meeting, after hearing Mr Turnbull's address, expresses its appreciation of the very satisfactory manner in which the Government, by bringing down the Superannuation Amendment Act. 1945, has mot the association's claims regarding superannuation.” Attention had been focused on the removal of the £3OO limit on retiring allowances, but the act contained other welcome improvements, said Mr Braybrookc. The £3OO limit had always been considered by the association to be unwarranted and contrary to the general practice in superannuation schemes. Twice previously Govern ments had, agreed} to remove the limit and had included clauses to that effect in legislation, but on each occasion the clause had been struck out. It was to the credit of the present Government that it had faced the problem, which had a considerable bearing on recruitment and retention of trained staff.

The Government had taken a bold step in placing the funds on a voluntary basis, continued Mr Braybrooke. Mr Turnbull had been asked at the meeting whether the service could not be immediately informed of the recommendations made about salary scales by the Consultative Committee,

which had been investigating salaries within the service. He stated that the. report was still being considered by (he Government, and it was not considered proper to make the recommendations public until the Government had had an adequate opportunity of studying them. It was hoped that the Government would be able to come to an early decision, as the »e----grading, which had been promised for April 1, 1946, could not proceed properly until the Government’s decision on the report has been announced.