WAGE INCREASE

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 September 1940, Page 5

WAGE INCREASE

RAILWAYMEN DISSATISFIED. [per press association.] WELLINGTON, September 16. A mass meeting of workers at the Hutt railway workshops to-day carried the following motions: “This meeting considers that the cost of living bonus given- by the Government is entirely inadequate, and reaffirms its previous decision that at least 10/- a week is necessary to bring the living standard back to the 1938 level; that the meeting has no confidence in the Price Investigation Tribunal as constituted, and asks the Government to give the workers representation on the tribunal to enable serious control and stabilising of prices in the interests of the people of New Zealand.” CIVIL SERVICE RECEPTION. DUNEDIN, September 16. “I think the majority of our members feel gratified that the Government has recognised the justice of their claims for some assistance in meeting the increased cost of living,” said Mr E. C. J. Foot, president of the Otago section of the Public Service Association, when commenting to-day on the announcement by the Minister for Finance (Mr Nash) of increases in civil servants’ salaries.

It had been felt for a long time in the service, Mr Foot said, that some increase was due to the lower paid workers, who were definitely in need of assistance, particularly when they were married. It was especially satisfying to see that section receive an increase in wages; but members cf the association on the whole were appreciative of what the Government had done for them.

RURAL LOCAL BODIES. WELLINGTON, September 16. “The Court is of the opinion that in neither case do tlye stated grounds justify an order for exclusion,” says the Judgment of the Arbitration Court, refusing applications from the New Zealand County Councils Industrial Union of Employers for com-’ plete exemption from the general order, and also an application for partial exemption from the order from the New Zealand Federated Labourers and Related Trades Industrial Association of Workers. Both applications related to workers coming within the scope of the New Zealand Local Bodies (Rural Section) Labourers’ Award and by consent of the parties were heard together. The grounds for the employers’ application were: (1) That ■ the said award granted substantial increases in wages and improvements in conditions to the workers covered by it notwithstanding that there had been no alteration in the conditions of work or the circumstances of the local bodies since the making of the previous award; (2) that the local bodies bound by the award are in rural areas and any increases in overhead can only be passed on at the expense of the primary producer; (3) that since the making of the said award there has been nothing to justify any further increases in wages.

“With regard to the first and third grounds, although, the Court gave certain increases in wages in the recent new award it did so to bring the rates into line with those paid to workers doing very similar work for other local authorities, but in view of the fact that the hearing of the application for a general order was pending, no cognisance was taken of the increased cost of living as this factor was one of the principal matters which the Court was directed to take into account before making a general order,” the decision reads. “In particular reference to the first ground it should also be mentioned that the improvements in conditions granted in the recent award were mainly the result ’of agreement by the parties in Conciliation Council, such agreement having been reached irrespective of the claim that there had been no alteration of the conditions of work or the circumstances of the local bodies since the making of the previous award.” With regard to the second ground, the Court gave the fullest consideration to the position of the primary producer before making the general order. Further, the Court could not accept the inference that rural local authorities were less able to pay the same rates of wages as were paid by urban local authorities for similar services, nor could it subscribe to the view that a worker for a borough council should receive less for the same class of work than an employee of the adjacent county council. The application of the workers for partial exclusion from the general order was couched in the following terms: “That the workers covered by such award be partially excluded from the operation of the general order of the Court dated August 9, 1940, to enable the Court to provide a more adequate allowance to the workers concerned to meet the necessities of life; to provide for them a reasonable standard of living in accordance with the economic conditions of the country; by directing that the effect of the order on the abovementioned award, shall be to increase all rates of remuneration provided therein (including overtime, wages, and other special payments) by an amount equal to 15 per centum thereof. The grounds for the application were: —(1) That 5 per cent, on the already low wages paid these workers will not enable them to live in a reasonable standard of comfort; (2) that the employers are in a sheltered position and are not subject to .any competition from Home or abroad; (3) that they are consequently in a position to pay their employees a reasonable wage to maintain them and their families in an adequate standard of comfort; (4) that the employers bound by this award should not in consequence of their position, seek to pay their employees at a lower level than employers employing similar labour who are not engaged in competitive industry.” The points mentioned in the first three grounds were considered by, the Court before making the general order, and the Court could not see that any adequate reason had been submitted to justify a variation in treatment of the employees of rural local authorities as compared with the position of the workers generally who were covered by awards or industrial agreements. The fourth ground was not relevant to an application for an increase in rates of remuneration from 5 per cent, to 15. per cent.