MARGINS NOT TO BE PAID

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29235, 20 June 1960, Page 8

MARGINS NOT TO BE PAID

Pay Of Australian Journalists Cut

(N.Z. Press Association—Copuright) MELBOURNE, June 18.

The Conciliation and Arbitration Commission yesterday upheld an appeal by metropolitan daily newspaper proprietors against marginal increases granted to journalists by Commissioner Portus last April. The commission quashed the marginal increases granted by Commissioner Portus and ordered that salary rates in operation before the variations should continue.

The original claim by the Australian Journalists’ Association was based on the metal trades judgment on November 27, 1959, granting a 28 per cent, marginal increase. On April 4, Commissioner Portus awarded journalists a 17.4 per cent, marginal increase. The proprietors appealed against the increase on April 20. In their judgment, the Commissioners said they were unable to accept the journalists’ contention that the metal trades judgment was intended to be of “general operation.” The secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Mr H. J. Souter, said it appeared that journalists had been singled out.

The decision appeared to be an attempt to cut across the principles used in the decisions applying the 28 per cent, marginal increase to other awards.

He estimated that about 99 per cent, of workers covered by Federal awards had had the metal trades margins judgment applied to them.

The Federal secretary of the Australian Council of Salaried and Professional Associations, Mr R. D. Williams described the decision as "most extraordinary.” “This . decision to deny journalists a fair share of the increased prosperity and increased productivity of the nation comes strangely when we look at the big profits being made, such as the £l5 million profit announced by General Motors-Holden’s to-1 day,” he said.