PUBLIC SERVICE SALARIES

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25811, 24 May 1949, Page 3

PUBLIC SERVICE SALARIES

REPLY TO MR LEWIN POST AND TELEGRAPH ASSOCIATION (New Zealand Press Association.) WELLINGTON, May 23. The Post and Telegraph Association t°’ da Z replied to a recent statement Sr y J PULewin, president of the New Zealand Public Service Association. The-statement said:— “In the newspapers the president of the Public Service Association is reP? rted 35 sa ying among other things that the Post and Telegraph Association by its single-handed action prejudiced the total claim of £7O to obtain more easily the £22 granted by the tribunal and in doing so prejudiced the wage position of all State servants.’ “This statement is inaccurate in every particular. It ignores completely:—(l) the fact that the four railway organisations also stated cases to a tribunal; (2) that these cases were heard before the Post and Telegraph Association’s claim; (3) that the only member organisation associated with the wages negotiations over the last two years or so that did not lodge a claim through tribunal channels months ago was the Public Service Association. “Had the policy advocated by the Public Service Association president been followed it is not improbable that public servants in general would, still have been waiting for salary improvement. As it is the post and telegraph and railway workers have been enjoying a salary increase for some time—an increase in which Public, Service Association members are only now about to share. No Evidence Given to Tribunal “The president of the Public Service Association ;s apparently dissatisfied with the tribunal’s decision on their claims. Did his organisation make any serious effort to secure more than they got? After all. according to reports, the hearing of their-whole case, including advocacy and the Public Service Commission’s reply, occupied only about one hour and not a single witness was called, and neither was detailed evidence submitted. ■“ln spite of all our shortcomings, fancied or otherwise, we had more regard for the welfare of our members than that and we did make a real effort to convince the tribunal of the .justice of our claims. That these claims were not satisfied in full cannot be laid at the door of our association, as Mr Lewin well knows. “It may be pertinent to point out here that the Public Service Association’s own actions were largely responsible for the salary claims being referred to the tribunal, for they have been demanding the setting up of such a body for some considerable time. “The real grievance of the Public Service Association president is that the Post and Telegraph Association executive refused to be a party to the salary question’s being made a political football or to the combined public service organisation movement’s being used as a channel for political purposes. “Comparative Newcomer” “Of course, being a comparative newcomer to organisational work, he may not fully appreciate our reasons for adopting this stand. He may not be aware, for instance, of the leading part played by our association during the difficult depression years, when the public servants had a major fight on their hands and when many of them were on the bread line. Similarly, he may not be aware that as a result of our struggle against the wage cuts our association lost official recognition for nearly two years and that attempts were made by the Government of the day to smash the association out of existence. “However, if he does know of these things, he will also know that his own association was far from being conspicuous in any efforts to assist us to survive. He will know, too, that his organisation’s present policy of press publicity and anti-Govemment propaganda was not much in evidence in those days. “Post and Telegraph Association executives have made mistakes—so has every executive. We have had many successes and many failures, but we have never tried to excuse our failures by laying the blame at the door of another organisation of workers. Furthermore, the Post and Telegraph Association leaders have invariably honoured any promise they made to. sister organisations and t cannot and will not work with an organisation that conveniently ignores such a simole but essential basic principle. “The Post and Telegraph Association was a member of a combined committee group for many years—right from the inception of the system in fact—and played its full part in the movement ’ until shortly after Mr Lewin became chairman of the combined public services committee. “The only additional comment we have to make is that we shall still continue to press for any improvements in salaries and conditions of post and telegraph employees that are considered to be justified, and there is no reason to anticipate tha’t in doing so we shall be any less successful than other service organisations, including the Public Service Association.”