Call for pay delay upsets women

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32958, 3 July 1972, Page 2

Call for pay delay upsets women

(New Zealand Press Association' WELLINGTON, July 2. The National Council of Women wants an assurance from the Government that its promised Equal Pay for Women Bill will go through Parliament this session.

One year’s postponement of the first step in the introduction of equal pay for women in New Zealand has been proposed by the Employers’ Federation.

In its bulletin, “Employer,” the federation says the first step is planned for April next year. The full introduction of equal pay is planned over five years. The federation had already warned the Government that substantial and alarming wage and price increases were likely if the bill incorporated the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into equal pay, the bulletin said.

A working party of the federation had also said that equal pay should not apply to jobs exclusively or predominantly done by women: if it did, the international competitiveness of some of New Zealand’s industries would be severely threatened. The secretary of the Na-

tional Council of Women (Mrs D. M. Wylie) said that the council had told the Prime Minister (Mr Marshall) in a telegram today that it was deeply disturbed by suggestions of a postponement. “Trust public promise in Speech from Throne will be honoured, with no postponement,” the telegram said. The Employers’ Federation bulletin said that the introduction of equal pay would bring wage increases of between 90 and 110 per cent, but the N.C.W. said today that these figures bore no comparison with rates already “being accommodated by the community.” RISES FEARED The bulletin said: “On top of the massive escalation of the last two years, increases of this size can only lead to large price increases in industries such as food processing, clothing, and footwear manufacture, and ladies’ hairdressing. “These price increases will naturally produce demands for wage increases across industry.” The federation’s working party would prepare submissions to Parliament once the Equal Pay Bill had been tabled.

Because of the many prac-

jtical difficulties in applying ,th ® ® t i ual pay P nn cipie to uaas workimr partv suggested that only rates specified in awards and industrial agreements, and not actual rates, be affected, the bulletin said.