Ruling Rates Talks May Now Continue

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30155, 12 June 1963, Page 14

Ruling Rates Talks May Now Continue

'New Zealand Press Association)

' WELLINGTON, June 11.

“We are satisfied. We have come to an acceptable understanding and we are prepared to meet a Cabinet committee with Mr Shand in the chair,” said the chairman of the State Services Organisations’ Combined Committee (Mr E. J. Batt) after an hour and a half’s meeting with the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) tonight.

Mr Batt’s statement means the way is clear for negotiations to be resumed on the implementation of the Labour Department’s February survey of rates of wages ruling in outside industry. Plans are now being made for an early meeting between the State Services Organisations’ Combined Committee and the Cabinet Committee on Government Administration.

Negotiations had been held up because of the refusal of State Services’ representatives to meet a committee of which the Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) was chairman. Mr Shand was not at tonight’s meeting because he had engagements in Auckland.

Mr Holyoake was accompanied by the Deputy-Prime Minister (Mr Marshall), who was responsible for the inauguration of the “ruling rates” survey system early in the life of the previous National Government, the Attorney - General (Mr Hanan) and the Minister of Railways (Mr McAlpine). Mr Batt was supported by the general secretary of the Public Service Association (Mr D P Long), the secretary of the Workers’ Union (Mr H J Allen), the president of the Post Office Workers’ Union (Mr G Robson) and an official of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (Mr N. Collins).

After the meeting the Prim,e Minister at his press conference described the discussions as “fruitful, amicable and helpful.” “Hie Combined Services’ Organisations will make an early approach to the Cabinet Committee on Government Administration,” said the Prime Minister, "to negotiate details of the ruling rates survey,”

Asked if he could say what difficulties stood in the way of negotiations for implementation of the survey, Mr Holyoake said he would not comment further than to say that they, were “no difficulties of any magnitude.”