U.K. interest in economic policies

Press, 8 June 1985, Page 21

U.K. interest in economic policies

From

Hugh Barlow

NZPA staff correspondent LONDON

The Minister of Labour, Mr Rodger, has encountered wide-ranging interest in the economic policies being followed by the New Zealand Government during a week-long visit to Britain.

“There has been an enormous degree of interest and curiosity — almost bewilderment — from all quarters in the way the Government is handling its economic affairs,” Mr Rodger said. Discussions had focused mainly on the moves taken regarding wage fixing and removing controls from the economy. Mr Rodger has met groups ranging from trade unions, Government bodies, and his British counterpart, the Employment Secretary Mr Tom King. He said he talked to officials from the Trades Union Congress, the British equivalent to the Federation of Labour, who were particularly interested in New Zealand’s wage-fixing procedures and the concept of tri-partite talks. Regarding the Government’s free-market policies, Mr Rodger said the T.U.C. was “surprised and wary and most anxious to learn of its outcome in terms of jobs and of the trade union reaction in New Zealand. We told them it was fair to say that there are aspects

of the economic policy that the trade union movement disagrees with but that there has been job creation, and it is hard to take umbrage at that.” Mr King was also interested in how the Government had managed to remove controls from sections of the economy.

“I think he was a trifle intrigued that this happened under a Labour Government,” Mr Rodger said.

The Minister said training schemes were also covered during his “lively” discussions with Mr King and there were a few ideas he would take back to New Zealand.

Mr Rodger also met the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission, a statutory body responsible for industrial safety. Discussions were useful and again he had picked up some ideas. However, the idea of a single body responsible for industrial safety was not one that would be worth trying to copy in New Zealand, he said.

Mr Rodger also met the Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral, Sir Shridath Ramphal, who told him it was widely recognised that the Government had done all it could reasonably be expected to do to stop the All Black tour of South Africa and consequently a boycott at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh was unlikely.