P.M. offers to address F.O.L

Press, 6 May 1980, Page 6

P.M. offers to address F.O.L

PA- . : • Wellington • The, Prime Minister (Mr. Muldoon) wants to address the Federation of Labour conference which starts in Wellington, this morning—but has not. yet- been invited. , ...

“Lots of other organisations invite me to address their conferences,” he said, at a news conference last evening. While he thought many people at the conference would have “closed minds,” Mr Muldoon said he would still accept an invitation—even at this late

stage’ — to talk about the state of the economy in the context of wage rates and wage-fixing policy. “I would be delighted to address them,” he said. Mr Muldoon said if he got an invitation he would reciprocate by recommending that the National Party executive invite the president of the F.O.L. (Mr W. J. Knox) to address the national conference in July. He said he had asked to address the conference when he; met representatives of the F.O.L; at>Parliameht two weeks ? ago.

“The invitation hasn’t arrived yet,” he said. He described the F.O.L. as one of those “odd” organisations which supported the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) and his deputy (Mr Lange) will address delegates on Thursday. A big issue at the fourday conference will be the Government’s refusal to concede a general pay increase to compensate for the increase in the cost of living. When the case put'

by the F.O.L. and the Combined State Unions was rejected by the Government Mr Knox said the conference would decide the next step.

But the Prime Minister’s suggestions that he address the federation conference was made too late, Mr Knox said last evening. Traditionally the only politicians invited to the conference are the leader and deputy leader of the Labour Party. “The only time a National Party member has addressed us would have been when the late Tom

Shand was Minister of Labour, and that was only a national council meeting, not the conference,” Mr Knox said.

“It is too late for any changes now; we have arranged the speaker. He should have let us known earlier that he was interested,” he said. However, Mr Knox said he was more than hapny to help the National Party create a precedent as there was still two months until its conference and plenty of J time to invite him.