Wages Survey At End Of February

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30050, 7 February 1963, Page 16

Wages Survey At End Of February

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 6. The first survey of wages in the private sector of industry in accord with the State Services Act passed by Parliament last December will be taken in the third week in February, according to Welington officials. The result of the survey will affect the wages and salaries of about 110,000 State servants.

A meeting has already taken place between representatives of the State services organisations and the employing authorities, including the State Services Commission, the Railways Department, and the Post Office.

It is understood that agreement has been reached on the choice of centres in which the survey will be conducted by the Labour Department. They are: Auckland, Hamilton, Wanganui. Lower Hutt, Wellington, Christchurch. Dunedin, and Invercargill A meeting at Ministerial level with the State servants' representatives has yet to decide the date from which the result of the survey will be applied.

The meeting may be with the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake), who is Minister in charge of State Services, or with the Minister of Labour (Mr Shand), who is chairman of the Cabinet committee on administration. It may include both. x Last year's legislation provided for a ruling rates survey every February and another three months after any general order by the Court of Arbitration. The new provisions were in place of the automatic application of the Arbitration Court’s general orders to State servants. This was deleted from the law.