Women 'Threaten’ Male Employment

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31754, 10 August 1968, Page 1

Women 'Threaten ’ Male Employment

Cheap female labour was threatening male employment in a time of economic adversity, said the president of the New Zealand Council for Equal Pay and Opportunity (Mrs Rita King, of Wellington) in an interview in Christchurch yesterday.

“This is someting we are watching closely,” she said. Mrs King said that she was having investigated reports that both in the timber and chicken-processing trades women had replaced men. “I have asked the secretary of the Canterbury Shop Assistants’ Union (Mr B. Alderdice) to investigate the question of women replacing men in chicken processing,” she said. “And I have written to the secretary of the New Zealand Timber Workers’ Union in Rotorua to ascertain whether cheaper-paid females are replacing male workers in some jobs in that industry.” The rate of pay for women in New Zealand seemed to be about 70 per cent of that paid to males, Mrs King said. “The Employers’ Federation is absolutely determined not to give any ground. This is understandable —it is an economic advantage to them to keep the status quo.” Yesterday Mrs King held discussions with Mr Alderdice, whose union is campaigning for equal pay for equal work. Mrs King said that the council of which she is president helped get the policy of equal pay for equal work in the Government service in 1961.

“I do not think universal acceptance of equal pay for equal work will be an easy thing to attain in New Zealand,” she added. Women’s organisations affiliated to the New Zealand council would be informed of the Canterbury Shop Assist ants' Union’s campaign and would be called on to give all possible assistance, Mrs King said. These organisations were the New Zealand Federation of University Women, the New Zealand Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, the New Zealand Post-primary Teachers’ Association, the New Zealand National Council of Women, the New Zealand Y.W.C.A., and the New Zealand division of the Union of Soroptomist Clubs. Mr Alderdice said that local women’s organisations affiliated to the New Zealand council would be invited to attend a meeting with representatives of his union.

Canadian Mails.—Normal air and surface mail services to Canada had been resumed, the Chief Postmaster in Christchurch (Mr M. E. Wilson) said yesterday. * '..y