No joy for delegates at F.O.L. conference

Press, 16 September 1976, Page 1

No joy for delegates at F.O.L. conference

PA Wellington Delegates looking for guidelines to crack the controversial “exceptional circumstances” clause of the wage regulations were disappointed at yesterday’s Federation of Labour conference. The president (Sir Thomas Skinner) gave no practical hints on the issue. Sir Thomas — who this week had successes at the bargaining table for drivers and Air New Zealand cabin staff — told delegates that these two cases proved the regulations could work.’ Employers who had said in the past that there were no “exceptional circumstances” would now have to change their stance. “I don’t think there is an award in the country which could not find an ‘exceptional circumstance’,” he said. Sir Thomas said that the decision of Air New Zealand and the road transport employers to agree on “exceptional circumstances” did not necessarily

open the floodgates for wage rises.

Any further breakthroughs would depend on the attitudes of the various employer sectors. Affiliated unions should take whatever action was necessary to press claims on employers. A call for a general strike was not supported by the conference. Many unions, some with quite major awards, have not yet filed award claims for this round of negotiations. They were awaiting the outcome of the driver’s case, and yesterday’s special conference, for some guidelines. But as one experienced trade-union official said afterwards, they would have learnt little from Sir Thomas. Their bewilderment was added to by the fact that it is almost certain the F.O.L. will file for a general wage order early next month. While this will undoubtedly result in some relief for frozen wage packets, it is possible that any wage rise granted in this round of negotiations under “exceptional circumstances” will have to be absorbed >n the wage order. A recommendation circulated before the conference went into committee covered familiar ground,

demanding that the Govern-, ment withdraw instructions to employers, repeal regulations, and maintain price freezes. Opposition was expressed to penal provisions in industrial legislation.

The F.O.L. once again gave its support to any affiliate taking action on

wage claims, or suffering from Government or employer victimisation.

The main amendment was one calling on affiliates to intensify industrial activity, to consolidate and build on the recent breakthroughs in the wage freeze.

Support was expressed for the deregistered Wellington Boilermakers’ Union. The Combined State Service Organisations yesterday came out strongly against the Government’s proposals for changes in industrial law. The C.S.S.O. chairman (Mr I. E. Reddish) said that experience in other countries had shown that punitive law did nothing for labour relations. "On the contrary, it leads inevitably to confrontation, and the resultant disruption does nothing for the Government, the unions, or the community as a whole,” he said. The Public Service Association yesterday began

negotiations with the State Services Commission on salary claims affecting about 1400 employees of the New Zealand Forest Service.

These are the first major negotiations for the P.S.A. under the “exceptional circumstances” clause of the regulations.