Attack On "Steady-Does-It”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30215, 21 August 1963, Page 16

Attack On "Steady-Does-It”

(N.Z Press Association) WELLINGTON, August 20. In spite of record export prices, New Zealand’s overseas funds were no higher than a year ago, the president of the Public Service Association (Mr E. J. Batt) said in his presidential address to the conference today. He was commenting on the Government’s “steady-does-it” policy. Reminding the conference that last year he warned that New Zealand was heading for a situation where sacrifices would demanded of wage and salary earners, he said it was time to take stock of what “steady-does-it” was doing and. for that matter, ‘‘who it was doing.” Mr Batt said that since las’ year the Government had kept on talking about “steady-does-it.” but had proceeded tc stimulate boom conditions. It had continued to borrow overseas, and it had borrowed record sums in New Zealand, he said. This had been necessary to balance the Budget and to make the story the Gov-

emment was a tax-redi cing one stick. Some negligible concessions in tax rates had been made to wage earners and some quite substantial ones to companies and farmers.

"The important thing is that the Government in each of the last two years has collected in revenue almost £5OO million,” he said. “In 1958 and 1959 the former Government collected only about £350 million and £4OO million. “In 1959 we criticised Mr Nordmeyer for taking too much from wage and salary earners but the taxes he imposed are still there and most of them are being paid by wage earners ” He said the cost of living was edging up but wages rates were lagging “The farmers and employers are in fact once again in full cry against the general wage order system and at the end of this year we can expect that it will be discovered that our overseas funds have all, or nearly gone, that taxation will be increased and that the gentral wage order system, and with it the genera) wage level, will really be under attack.” Mr Batt said.

As the biggest single organisation of employees. ‘he PSA was entitled to hear from the political parties where they stood on such matters. “In particular we need to be shown how adequate general wage increases can be genuinely general and not evaded by employers,

including the Government,” he said There was a need to look at Government moves and acts directed against trade unions in general and the P.S.A. in particular. There had been a move to deal with trade unions and to put public servants in their place. The man selected to do the job had been the Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) whose first act against the trade union movement had been the repeal of the compulsory unionism legislation which had stood for 25 years and had been respected by all governments.

Another step taken which was fraught with even greater danger to the trade union movement had Peen the composite awards amendment where the position could arise that in times of failing employment comprehensive agreements between employers and innocuous unions would almost destroy the larger and most important unions.

This had been regarded by the Federation of Labour as the most vicious attack ever made on the trade union movement of this country. It was an endeavour completely to hog-tie the trade union n.ovement.

Referring to the repeal by the Government of a section of the Government Railways Act. Mr Batt said the FOL considered the change proposed in respect of general wage orders to be an attack upon the basic wage structure and saw the movs as part of

a general policy of the Government, or perhaps of the Minister of Labour and his particular outside advisers to take away conditions of employees. Commenting on the wage of £740 for Labourers and £B7O for tradesmen, he said it was not the incomes of breadwinners that provided the television sets, cars, and other amenities found in homes but income from secondary employment, a working wife and possibly working children. Any slackening in the economy of the country might make it difficult for women to find work and cause a decline in secondary employment. Commenting that the association had no political aJilegiance. Mr Batt said its only politics was the welfare of its members in all matters affecting their standards of living and kt particular their salaries and conditions of employment. The backwoods men of the National Party were the enemies of the welfare state and they attacked the public servants, feeling in doing so they were attacking the welfare state.

“Public servants implement Government policy, they de not make it. When limited to words these attacks do us no harm but when they are translated into legislation in order to placate the backwoods elements of the party they must make the public service wonder where it will end,” he said.