P.M. repeats stand on wage increases

Press, 26 May 1984, Page 8

P.M. repeats stand on wage increases

PA Auckland No more wage increases will be allowed regardless of the present run of strikes, said the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Muldoon, on his return to New Zealand yesterday. Strikers “are simply tossing pay down the drain,” he said at Auckland Airport. “The Federation of Labour recognises that. They have approached us to reactivate the long term wage-fixing talks and the next meeting will be on Monday at an official level.

That is a good sign,” he said. Questioned about the Marsden Point strife, Sir Robert said that there had been “industrial sabotage from the beginning” on the site. He blamed union bosses who had been dragging “the chaps on the job out.” Sir Robert has not yet set a date for the Budget, but has been “looking at” new interest rates regulations which will be discussed by the Cabinet soon. Sir Robert said that mat-

ters in Washington “were moving” on the updating of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs. There was agreement that meetings on a Ministerial level were necessary “to talk about protectionism in the broader sense. The remarkable thing is we were unanimous.” Progress on changing the world monetary system would be slow, “but what came through clearly is that everyone now realises that something has to be done,” said Sir Robert.