’Stand firm’ call to employers

Press, 8 July 1976, Page 2

’Stand firm’ call to employers

Employers must join forces to fight unfair demands by workers, the Minister of Labour (Mr Gordon) said in an address to the Canterbury Employers’ Association In Christchurch yesterday. Mr Gordon urged association members to stand firm against unfair remuneration. •‘Heaven help this country if we back down now.’’ be said. “The unions are uniting, and businesses must do the same. The Government does not expect businesses to go bankrupt, but it does expect them to stand up in support of their colleagues.” Mr Gordon said political motives had crept into labour disputes recently, and urged employers to be wary . But there was no room for confrontation, and he had no intention of "buying” confrontation with either the Employers’ Federation or the Federation of Labour. The Minister said the Government was not antagonistic towards wage earners. The Government did not oppose the trade-union movement as such, nor threaten it. “Indeed.

[our policies specifically spelt |out the need for responsible, [well behaved unions.” Mr Gordon derided reports Ithat paint a grim picture of the country’s economic future. “Practically every econlornic expert now predicts ■ that the Government’s moves .must inevitably reduce the inflation figure by the end of this year.” he said. "Our haif-yearly figures show inflation running about 9 per cent. Some pundits predicted the year’s inflation at being 17 per cent. It is our belief that that figure is too high, and our latest calculations show it should be in the. region of 13 per cent.” The Government’s controls had been hard on some sectors of the economy. "We have been tough on the wage and salary earner. We do not deny that. No-one could carry out very stringent meaures and hot get any flak whatsoever,” he said. Employers should do all they could to create closer communication with employees. "This is a crucial area in which we sadly lack initiative. but the opportunity to grapple with the problem has never been better.” The Minister has hopes of using staff from the Labour

Department in a liaison cap - city with employers to he o implement better communication. “They would be able to give advice on the most effective form of workeparticipation. They would act like marriage guidance counsellors,” he said. "One of the factors that? surprises me so often in dis-1 cussion with members of the trade union movement —generally the less responsible ones—is a failure to realise that there must be an adequate return on capital. They sometimes call ‘profit’ a dirty word. "The Federation of Labour also suffers for want of adequate resources to enable its executive to do a more efficient job. This is an area, that troubles me in today's’ industrial world in New Zealand. The question of efficiency and standards is; at the centre of many dis-. putes." Mr Gordon said the news media overlooked positive aspects of the Ministry’s work.| “If a negotiator succeeds in achieving a settlement to a dispute, people are happy,■ and therefore it is not considered newsworthy,” he said. | “Be it of advantage to em-| ployers or unions, it gets little or no publicity.”