Last relativity rise?

Press, 25 November 1982, Page 1

Last relativity rise?

PA Wellington ; The chairman of the Combined State Unions, Mr D. H. Thorp, said last evening that the Government was planning to change, the law to prevent relativity cases similar to the successful claim by primary teachers. Mr Thorp said the Government had put a package of proposals to the C.S.U. yesterday, one of which would prevent a repetition of such relativity-claims. . .. “It is just'another case of the Government’s being a bad loser,, and using its powers to change the law to its own purposes,” he said. Changing the law. on relativities between State, groups would prevent such relativities from being used for wage claims. / Mr Thorp said the Government wanted to change State wage-fixing procedures agreed in 1977, and this would.. depress the pay of Slate employees. He listed among the main

changes proposed, the radical alteration of the system of annual general adjustments designed to keep State pay rates generally m line with movements in the private sector, and the elevation of recruitment and retention . as the primary factor in setting wage rates. Mr Thorp described the proposals as the most serious attack on State wage-fixing provisions in recent years. Yesterday’s decision by the : State, Services Tribunal givi ing primary teachers relativ- ; ity with their secondary i counterparts will cost New Zealand an extra $29 million a year. • ■ - ■' i The decision, the result-of ■ an appeal to the tribunal by • the New Zealand Educational Institute on a pay • claim lodged last November, ; gives the teachers an aver- > age pay rise of 18 per cent. ; The president of the [ N.Z.E.1., Mr Gerry Brown, said the decision, backdated i to November last year,

would give most primary teachers $lOOO in back pay. Some senior staff would receive more than $l5OO.

The principal of a secondary school would be paid 10 per cent more than the head of a primary school of the same size.

Mr Brown said restoring pay relativity lost since 1975 meant that secondary teachers would retain a 6 per cent lead over their primary colleagues. “It is strictly relativity, not pay parity,” he said. In its majority decision, the tribunal said the return to the 1975 relativity level took account of the special responsibilities of the occupational class' and was fair to employees in the State service.

Dissenting members, the tribunal assessor, .Mr P. K. Munn, and official member, Mr J. H. Loftus, said it was manifestly unfair to spend $29 million each year of the taxpayers’ money plus a fur-

ther $10.7 million for salary arrears.

The Minister of Education, Mr Wellington, said the tribunal’s decision was the result of independent arbitration and was binding on all parties, including the Government.

“I have therefore no intention of commenting further on the particular issues of the case,” he said. “These have been thoroughly aired over many months and as T have indicated, the decision reached in the matter is final and must be regarded as such.” The Christchurch branch president of the N.Z.E.1., Mr Leicester Chilton, said primary teachers felt it was a > very satisfactory result to what had been a long and protracted negotiation. “There will be relativity between teachers in the primary, and secondary service who have similar qualifications and responsibilities,” he said.