Mr Muldoon’s report card

Press, 15 April 1980, Page 22

Mr Muldoon’s report card

Sir, — Your correspondent, M. Creel, may be an expert on global communism but when it comes to the effect of wages on the cost of production he is well astray.He argues (April 9) that if wage rises ' won by strikes must be accompanied by increases in production, probably at the expense of greater worker effort, how, can they be classified as wage rises? The Marxist expert falsely presumes that before seeking wage increases productive effort had been achieved to gain existing wages. As New Zealand is at ’the bottom of the productive ladder in . Western world ranking, the trade union movement obviously regards industrial blackmail as the means of keeping up with inflation, knowing only too well that employers will continue to resort to the cost-plus system when agreeing to meet wage demands. Left’ high and dry with crippling internal inflation, which has nothing to do with the; price of oil,- the’ * economy is saddled with the socialist quest for a living wage-unfettered by.’the Arbi-:' tration Court.. The cost, of strikes is best left to theimagination, for after .all,, who cares? — Yours, etc., L. J. STEVENS,- , Oamaru. April 9, 1980.