Dangers in wages push, says unionist

Press, 2 July 1986, Page 13

Dangers in wages push, says unionist

PA Wellington The trade union movement faces dangers from being too successful in collective wage bargaining, according to the Distribution Workers’ Federation secretary, Mr Rob Campbell. He said this in an article in a new Labour newspaper printed in Australia, called “7 Days.” The tabloid is intended to be a weekly sold in Australia and New Zealand covering both the industrial and political labour movement. In its first issue, Mr Campbell compared the Australian accord between unions and the Federal Government with attempts to get an understanding between the New Zealand Government and New Zealand unions. He said many New Zealand unionists were keen to have another wage round in October based on an industrial approach alone. He identified four problems with that: • The Government could be de-stabilised. • The Government might regulate against such a campaign damaging the union movement. • The unions could be blamed for increased unemployment when the Government used its control of credit to resist the union movement’s pay push. • Union efforts to influence Government policy on economic and

social issues could be better pursued by co-opera-tion with the Government.

Mr Campbell said the Federation of Labour and Combined State Union’s attempt to negotiate an incomes and economic agreement with the Government did not have the political sophistication required for widespread cooperation with the Government.

In New Zealand there had been no economic power sharing or change in the role of unions. At the time of Labour’s election in 1984 the union movement’s primary desire was restoration of bargaining rights after the wages freeze.

That was followed by economic reform much more influenced by market theory than most expected.

"It has left a union movement which is confused about the reforms in principle and on many counts angry about the impact of those reforms,” he says. Other New Zealand reports in the Melbournebased paper include reports of the Government shake-up of the public service, and the recent hearings of the Defence Review Committee. The paper’s editorial said the labour movement in Australia and New Zealand had no effective voice of its own. “Debates within the movement have to take place within the columns of a frequently hostile press,” the editor, Mr John Mathews, wrote. A public company is to be formed issuing shares in the newspaper, he said.