FEDERATION OF LABOUR

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26985, 10 March 1953, Page 11

FEDERATION OF LABOUR

REPORT TO ANNUAL CONFERENCE REFERENCES TO POLICY ON WAGES (From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, March 9. The New Zealand Federation of Labour may “give very serious consideration to a review of its present policy” if in future the law and the Court of Arbitration “are to be used as a medium to stratify workers’ wage rates on a plea of promoting the economic stability of tne Dominion while other sections of the community are permitted to exploit favourable market conditions without restraint.” This is said in the annual report of the federatibif, which will be presented to the annual conference to open in the Trades Hall, Wellington, on April 14. There is a long passage in the report on the standard wage pronouncer'ent of July 12, 1952, together with a history of matters leading to that pronouncement.

The report says that in making any future general wage pronouncement the Court is required under the general purposes of the act. to consider whether the granting of any application for a general wage pronouncement will, promote the economic stability of New Zealand. When the national executive met the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) and the Minister of Labour (Mr W. Sullivan) in November. 1952, the Prime Minister agreed that the question of the removal of this restriction would be a subject for discussion between the Minister of Labour, Labour Department officers, and the national executive. These discussions, the report adds, are continuing.