Wage, salary rates rise 6.9 per cent

Press, 23 January 1988, Page 38

Wage, salary rates rise 6.9 per cent

PA Wellington Provisional figures for the nominal weekly wage rates index show an increase of 6.9 per cent in legal minimum ordinarytime wage and salary rates for full-time adult employees, for the year ended in the September, 1987, quarter. Contributing to the over-all increase, rates in the private sector increased 6.7 per cent over the same period. This increase reflects the impact of awards and agreements settled during the 1986/87 wage round, which have been registered with the Arbitration Commission. For the Government sector the index measured an increase of 7 per cent, a result mainly of the 7

per cent general adjustment applicable to the majority of Government employees, arid the Higher Salaries Commission increases. The Government Statistician reported that for a number of occupation groups covered by awards, such as some hospital board and Air New Zealand employees, notification of increases for the 1986/87 wage round had not yet been registered and therefore these increases were not reflected in this annual figure. The corresponding increase for the local authority sector is 7.2 per cent. This increase is because of rises resulting from registered awards settled in the 1986/87 wage round or from such

awards the rates of which are linked to salaries in the State services. As with the other sectors, there are still awards outstanding from the 1986/87 wage round.

The index now includes all of the expected impact of the 1985/86 wage round award/agreement settlements and at least 93 per cent of the impact of the 1986/87 wage round. The September, 1987, and prior quarters’ figures may be revised upwards ■when notification of outstanding, backdated awards and agreements has been received by the department. The impact of the 1987/ 88 wage round will not influence the index until the December, 1987, quarter.