Wage report praised

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32775, 27 November 1971, Page 2

Wage report praised

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, Nov. 26. The Commission of Inquiry’s report on equal pay was welcomed by the president of the Federation of Labour (Mr T. E. Skinner) today. The report, released yesterday, recommended equal pay for women by 1977.

“It is an excellent report,’’ said Mr Skinner. “It does not recommend equality as soon as we would like; we realise this can’t be done overnight, however. Because the report is unanimous, the Government will have to treat it seriously. , "There is no reason why the private sector should not start immediately to implement equality. With co-oper-ation of all sides, it can be implemented more quickly than the four years envisaged.” Commenting on the reaction of the Employers’ Federation to the report, the president of the Public Service Association (Mr S. J. Rodger) said that the employers’ reac-

tion was hasty and ill-con-sidered, and no more sound than their submissions to the commission. The employers had tried to persuade the commission that the cost of equal pay would be more than twice as high as other expert witnesses had estimated, and the employers’ figures had therefore been rejected by the commission, he said. Mr Rodger expressed surprise that the commission had accepted the “snail’s pace” time-table recommended bv the employers for implementing equal pay, although it had rejected the “spurious figures” with which the employers sought to justify this time-table.

The Clerical Workers’ Union has given its total support to the decision, according to a statement issued,today by the acting national secretary of the union (Mr D. Jacobs).

“We are delighted to find so many of. the important issues we supported have been recommended by. the commission. There is no doubt that the report clearly tells the Government that it should act speedily to implement the necessary legislation.”

He praised the commission for its clear four-year timetable to introduce the necessary equal-pay legislation by April 1, 1977.

“We urge the Government to do all within its power to follow the time-table without exception or variation.”