Postal staff may avoid S.A. ban

Press, 9 May 1979, Page 6

Postal staff may avoid S.A. ban

PA Wellington Post Office staff may still be able to get special leave to play sport with South Africans, in spite of a State Services Commission ruling last week that public servants would not be allowed special leave to plav such sport. The Post Office does not: come within the commission’s employing powers, but other bodies such as the Railways Department and the Armed Forces will adopt the ruling. A blanket ban on special leave to enable staff to play sports with South Africa would not be imposed, said a Post Office statement yesterday. “If such an application for special leave is received, a decision will be taken bv the Director-General at that time, having regard to the

circumstances of the case and all other considerations whichl . he deems to be relevant,” the' : statement said. The Postmaster-General !(Mr Couch), who is also thel Minister of Maori Affairs, ;has been a strong opponent: of the commission’s ruling.' He has described the ruling las discriminatory to sports-. men and women who want' 'to plav against South Afri-> cans. I A Railways Department' spokesman said yesterday! that the commission’s ruling (would be adopted by the department. “We will follow suit if an application falling under these circumstances does arise,” he said. "The Railways will follow State Ser- . vices Commission policy, 'even though the commission 'does not directly cover us.” i* The Secretary of Defence

I (Mr D. B. G. McLean) said i' that the commission’s ruling :‘was likely to be adopted by the Armed Forces. 1 He said that the Armed ; I Forces were autonomous, but .there w r as no history of t j separate avenue’s being .'taken to other branches of (the Public Service. In announcing the ruling : the commission’s chairman • i (Dr R. M. Williams) said that (under the Gleneagles Agree:ment the Government under--1 took “to combat the evil of ; apartheid by withholding any ■ form of support for it, and )by taking every practical) i'step to discourage contact or r) competition between its nas tionals with sporting organis- - ations, teams, or sportsmen - from South Africa.” , The commission’s decision i recognised the Government’s ’ undertaking, Dr Williams ! said.