Rises in salary

Press, 10 February 1989, Page 8

Rises in salary

Sir,—The Government says it is its policy to target low-income workers. I can only presume this is why judicial salaries increasedby up to 21.3 per cent, backdated, to April 1, 1988, while kindergarten teachers have been given a flat rise of $15.25 a week. This is reduced to $7 for those earning more than $32,000 a year and will not be backdated to November 10, 1988, when our award expired. Perhaps kindergarten teachers are also expected to be grateful for the result of this particular target practice?— Yours, etc., YVONNE HOLMES. February 4,1989. Sir,—The 21.3 per cent increase in some judicial salaries, back-dated to April 1, 1988, is further evidence that New Zealand has become a country where there is one law for the rich and another for ordinary people. At a time when the Government is seeking less disastrous economic policies than those of Roger Douglas and his

supporters the most logical way to continue to reduce inflation would be for trade unionists to' agree to future wage increases somewhat below the rate of inflation. By persuading their members to accept small sacrifices, they would assist economic recovery. However, the hope that the less-well-off can be persuaded to behave responsibly is disastrously diminished by the system under which the bloated and self-obsessed “aristocrats” of this rapidly sinking colony keep giving their rich buddies much bigger pay increases than those of ordinary citizens. — Yours, etc. MARK D. SADLER. February 5, 1989.