Union to continue with retail price watch

Press, 15 November 1984, Page 26

Union to continue with retail price watch

PA Wellington The. Shop Employees’ Union is advising members to report excessive price rises now that the price freeze has ended. The union’s national ■ secretary, Mr Graham Kelly, said that it would not monitor price rises to the same extent as it did during the freeze but members would be encouraged to report significant increases either to the Trade and Industry Department or to the union.

If people felt that the new system was working fairly, that their incomes matched the cost of living, then he thought there would be few complaints. “But if prices continue to rise and wages do not reflect that in the new wage round then I think there can only be resentment and the

likelihood of more increases being reported,” he said. . Mr Kelly said since the freeze was lifted last Thursday the union had already had a number of complaints from members who had been asked to put up prices on old stock. , The union had advised them hot to do so because it. was against the law but shop employees were in a difficult situation where conflict could arise.

A difficulty for shop employees was to know what was a reasonable price increase and what was not because they did not have all the facts and figures such as the imported content of an item, Mr Kelly said. The director of the Consumers' Institute, Mr R. J. Smithies, said it would continue to survey particular

goods and services as usual and would be able to make some comparisons with the situation during the freeze.