Wage talks

Press, 12 August 1980, Page 16

Wage talks

Sir, — Your editorial “Working for • a Wages Policy” (August .6) was about as comprehensive as one could have wished except for one aspect, skilfully avoided: "Mr Muldoon’s provisional remarks about high taxation in the event of high wage settlements are alarming.” ■ Quite so; but let us not

blind ourselves to the fact .that'Mr Muldoon is obviously using the situation to exact optimum political leverage so whatever course the mini-budget may take he can once again point the finger of scorn at the F.O.L. He dislikes the fact that he has been forced to make a possible concession towards a “minimum living wage” but this has nothing whatever to do with any charitable thoughts of his own on social justice. Let us also acknowledge the concrete fact that increased productivity is by no means a readily purchasable commodity. We have only to recall Mr Muldoon’s own retrospective $6OOO a year increase to prove this point. —Yours, etc., ARTHUR MAY. August 6, 1980.