POLITICAL PARTIES’ LINKS

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33063, 2 November 1972, Page 16

POLITICAL PARTIES’ LINKS

There was a far closer association between the Employers’ Federation and the National Party than there was between the Federation of Labour and the Labour Party’, the F.O.L. president (Mr T. E, Skinner) said in Christchurch yesterday.

He was commenting on suggestions by National Party politicians that if Labour liecame the Government, the real Prime Minister would be Mr Skinner, not Mr Kirk.

“I don’t hear the National Party talking about where they get their campaign funds from,” said Mr Skinner. “They get their money from banks, insurance companies, big land owners and big business—and it means they can spend three or four times as much as the Labour Party can afford on publicity and advertising.

“These are hard-headed people,” said Mr Skinner. “They expect a return for their money, and they get it. When National says it puts people first, these are the people.”

Mr Skinner was critical of the Government “for trying to use industrial legislation as a political weapon. “Mr Marshall,” he said, “states that the main function of the F.O.L. is to work for better pay and conditions. He says we should not take any interest in moral issues and if we do, there will be special laws to deal with us. “At the same time the Prime Minister is telling us this, he completely takes away our right to negotiate freely with the employers for these wages and conditions.” Support pledged

Mr Skinner said the F.O.L. represented 360,000 wageearners and by the time their families were taken into consideration it looked after the welfare of more than a million New Zealanders.

“These people depend on the F.O.L. for their standard of living—they certainly can’t rely on the Government.” said Mr Skinner. “Before we pledged our support to the Labour Party in this election, we were described by the present Prime Minister, the previous Prime Minister, and any number of Ministers of Labour as being a responsible body,” he said.

“Now, for electioneering purposes, the whole attitude of the Government has changed. “This is the first time since Fraser’s defeat in 1949 that we have taken a political stand. We have got to do this. We are not putting up any candidates ourselves, but we have urged our members to go out and vote for the Labour Party because we can see no future for the wageearner — or the country — if the present Government con-

tinues in office," Mr Skinner said.

“The present inflat ionap’ rate is one of the worst in the world, the productivity rate is one of the lowest, and our standard of living under Mr Muldoon has fallen from fourth in the world to 14th. These are the reasons why the Federation of Labour wants a change of Government. Increased charges “It’s fundamental to the trade union movement that the whole country should prosper so that all of us can share in the prosperity,” said Mr Skinner. “If the present Government is returned, next year we will have to face increased charges by practically every Government department — electricity, rail and postal costs will all go up. So will the price of petrol In addition to this, the Government even now is planning to introduce an accommodation tax on all rented properties after the election.

“Party affiliation has got 'nothing to do with it-—we ;just want a return to full employment and national prosperity. If we thought wage controls would ensure this, we would co-operate with them, but they cannot (work without effective price i control.” I Mr Skinner said that as long as National remained in ! power, there would always Ibe a Remuneration Authority or similar control over wage negotiations, there would always be Government interference in relations between i workers and employers. ; “This must result in continuing and increasing industrial unrest and in serious losses of productivity. You can’t get ahead without a contented labour force,” he said.

Mr Skinner said the National Government hoped to (win the election by buying a fight with the Federation of Labour. 'They are wasting their time," he said. “We are not going to be drawn."