Another call for ‘early’ pay talks

Press, 2 April 1980, Page 28

Another call for ‘early’ pay talks

PA Wellington The Kinlei th settlement signalled the urgent need for an early start to be made on round-table wages policy discussions, the executive director of the Employers’ Federation (Mr J. W. Rowe) has said.

The settlement closed a long and tragic dispute, but any long term good for’New Zealand’s industrial relations would only be achieved through con- • structive wage policy ■talks involving the Government, employers and the Federation of Labour, he said. “The 1980-81 wage round may not get fully under wav until September, but there are several negotiations beginning as early as June which vvill have an important bearing on next year’s wage round.”

If the next wage round was to start on a better footing than last year’s, then it was imperative the broad issues facing all the main parties were identified and some agreement reached on each party’s position, he said. “Unless we can agree broad guidelines for future negotiations then we risk another destructive wagebargaining round.”