Youth rates dialogue

Press, 4 August 1981, Page 2

Youth rates dialogue

PA Wellington The Federation of Labour is prepared to talk to the Government about paying special youth rates, but is opposed to the idea and has vowed to make arbitrary legislation on the matter unworkable. The president of the F.O.L. (Mr W. J. Knox) said yesterday that the federation was against putting younger workers on lower rates and was negotiating on behalf of the Clerical Workers’ Union for the removal of a “youth rate” clause from its award. However, the federation was prepared to talk about the matter. Mr Knox said the F.O.L. would not commit itself to agreeing to pay youth rates because it believed if all workers were not on the same pay rate the jobs of older, higher-paid employees would be at risk.

"The F.O.L. is not going to agree because adult workers are going to be put off work. Employers are looking to the youngsters to replace the older workers as cheap labour." He described young people paid at a lower rate as a "sweated cheap labour force." He said employers had been "leaning on" the Government to introduce youth r rates and the speech of the ; Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger) supporting the idea at the National Party conference on Friday was Just to “enhance his image."

The executive officer of the National Youth Council, Mr Malcolm Menzies, said yesterday youth rates were used by employers to get cheap labour and did not create new jobs.

“If young people are doing equal work they should get

equal pay, and not be exploited because of their age,” he said. There are already incentives to encourage the hiring of young people without introducing youth rates. “If employers really are concerned about the high rate of youth unemployment, they should revise their attitudes to youth as an unemployment "group."