STATE PAY INCREASE

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34046, 9 January 1976, Page 2

STATE PAY INCREASE

(X I Affociattvn) W ELUNGTON. January 8. A huge pay-out in back pay is faced by the Government for more than 35,000 State services tradesmen and manual workers because of new rates approved by the State Services Tribunal. Based on the October ruling rates survey by the De- ■ partment of Labour, the new rates provide increases for tradesmen. labourers, and various supervisory and other staff >n the trades and manual occupational classes ranging up to 6.3 per cent — from 5.3 c an hour for plumb-; ers to 12c for labourers. The increases are backdated to July 9 of last year. The tribunal has also approved substantia! increases in daily allowances, and in an attempt to correct* what it sees as a serious* anomaly will recommend to'

,the State Services Commission that tradesmen in certain departments in which normal provisions have not ! been applied for some years . should be recompensed, even' "if this takes the form of an : ' ex gratia payment. ■ The new rates for the ' trades are:—

The survey allowances, which represent the ex gratia travelling time paid in private I industry, have also been increased. The new survey allowances are:—

Rate increase (Cents /Cents an hour, an hour) Carpenters 234.1 9.1 Painters 233.9 9.2 Electricians 253.0 8 9 Plumbers 247.4 5.3 . Fitters/ Boilermakers 255.6 9.2 Motor Mechanics 253.7 11.3 Other Trade* 247.4 9.1 (Skilled Labourers 201.7 12.0 ■ Labourers 200.0 12 0

Rate Increase »< ents f Cents a day' a day) Ca rpenterw I25.n 13.0 Painter* non 8.0 Electricians 110.0 10.0 *1 Plumber* 112.0 52.0 II Labourer* 50.0 15.0