ORCHARD WAGES

Evening Star, Issue 25619, 20 October 1945, Page 8

ORCHARD WAGES

. « INCREASE WITHHELD MEANTIME GOVERNMENT BREACH OF UNDERSTANDING ALLEGED (P.A.) NELSON, October 19. Tlie New Zealand Fruitgrowers' Industrial Union of Employers has decided not to make available to orchard workers the increased wages provided for in the recent extension order under the New Zealand Agricultural Workers' Regulations until the growers are assured that they will be reimbursed for the increased production costs brought about by the order in accordance with a tentative agreement on that point between the employers and the New Zealand Workers' Union. A statement to this effect was made today by Mr A. Brown, president of the employers' organisation. Mr Brown said that ratification of the new rates was conditional on the fulfilment of the governing clause written into the tentative agreement, which stated that the agreement would be repudiated by both parties, orchardists and workers, if the increase in the production costs to the industry arising from the increased wages was not recoverable in the growers' returns. Although representatives of the industry had made almost continual inquiries as to_ the Government's intentions, he said, it still remained impossible to obtain any information. He expressed the opinion that the introduction of the wage increases by the State without reference to the conditional clause was a violation of the agreement, and he added that until that provision was implemented the increases stated in the order would not be made available to the workers.