The Press TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1970. Go-Slow Obstructs Settlement

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32396, 8 September 1970, Page 12

The Press TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1970. Go-Slow Obstructs Settlement

Although the Prime Minister yesterday described the latest circumstances of the Post Office workers’ goslow as an “ impasse ”, it is abundantly clear that there is no occasion for an impasse unless someone is being unreasonably stubborn. The Post Office wants negotiations about higher pay for clerical workers; the Government last week proposed action to ensure that State employees are paid no less than their counterparts in private employment; the Government has now repeated its offer to negotiate the wages claims of all State clerical workers. Surely these are not the elements of an impasse. It is reasonable enough that, if all State employees are pressing claims for higher wages, an effort should be made to bring the Post Office workers into comprehensive negotiations. It is also understandable that Post Office employees should be averse to seeing the settlement of their claims delayed by a protracted survey of clerical workers’ pay. But it should not take until the end of the year to conduct the survey and to adjust the salaries of State servants accordingly; and it should be possible for the Government to satisfy the State service organisations that the new scales will be retrospective. Unfortunately, further efforts to reach such an accommodation are now obstructed by the Post Office go-slow. As the employers, the public can hardly want their representatives—the Government—to negotiate while the go-slow continues and while some of their employees are being paid a full day’s wages for less than a fair day’s work. The sendee organisations have rejected the idea of submitting their claims to arbitration. Instead, they require, and will depend upon, direct negotiation with the Government. It makes no sense now to continue an action by some that precludes negotiation for the benefit of all.