State Ready To Introduce Equal Pay For Women

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29829, 23 May 1962, Page 14

State Ready To Introduce Equal Pay For Women

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 22. Negotiations on the introduction of equal pay in the Public Service have been completed, and today the Public Service Commission lodged the terms of the agreement with the Government Service Tribunal to give effect to the provisions of the Government Service Equal Pay Act, 1960.

The chairman of the Public Service Commission (Mr L. A. Atkinson) said tonigli’ that the determination could be acted on immediately and the Treasury would pay the arrears as soon as possible. Mr Atkinson said the determination provided for salary scales for females which would operate from April 1. 1961, April 1, 1962. and April 1, 1963. When the third scale took effect in 1963 the scales for males and females doing equal work under equal conditions would be the same. The determination also included new scales for employees. such as typists, whose work was not normally done by males. The act provided that where there was no corresponding scales for men

scales of pay for women in other sections of Government employment should be taken as a guide. The determination did not apply to employees in the Education Division or persons employed under Public Service regulation 130. said Mr Atkinson. Scales for Education Division employees had already been issued and regulation 130 employees would be covered by separate instructions. Regulation 130 employees are casual workers employed in forestry, hydro-electric construction. and similar work. Special arrangements were being made for the very few women. such as canteen workers, who were employed under this regulation, said Mr Atkinson.