Wharf Leaders See Nothing In Budget To Alter Wage Move

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 August 1948, Page 5

Wharf Leaders See Nothing In Budget To Alter Wage Move

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Nothing in the Budget justified the industrial Labour movement in abandoning or suspending its demands for a substantial wage increase, the national president of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union, Mr H. Barnes, and the national secretary, Mi- 'fl. Hill, said in a statement today and their union would make an early move for rates comparable with those in Australia. Unlike some others, they said, whose reception of the Budget an-J exchange rate manipulation suggested “naive enthusiasm over theories instead of practice,” they had reserved their judgment until the financial policy'of the Government was careHilly’ examined. The promises of relief'for the workers were insufficient they said and the wage standards in New Zealand deplorably low. New Zealand waiersiders were receiving 3s 3d an hour lor work for which Australians got 4s lOd and San Francisco longshoremen above 10$. Excessive Control The sensible way to regard the excessive control of imports, added Messrs Barnes and Hili was to view it as a blockade of New Zealand, preventing just as effectively as any naval blockade quantities of goods from reaching the public. With all due respects to the Finance Minister, Mr Nash, he could be considered a one-man navy, and upon that navy depended the realisation of the present promises of plenty. Thev said New Zealanders should ask themselves now, when sufficient goods were not available although New Zealand produce was on a seller’s market, how many goods they could expect to get when the market for produce was not so favourable? The union would continue vigorously with its demand lor a Is an hour wage increase and how this claim would be advanced would be determined by the national executive within the next few weeks. Promises Of Politicians "We regard the Budget as one of ‘great exceptations,’ ” they said, "but (he workers and their families cannot live on expectations. If the promises of the politicians are realised in the indefinite future, the Government will be entitled to due credit, I but the government element in the [promised Utopia obviously is Mr Nash himself. “The immediate issues before the industrial Labour movement are to seek substantial wage increases, to oppose peace-time military conscriphi’on. to bring about effective control [of prices and profits, and to ensure ‘that the workers have sufficient real money and better and cheaper goods.”

Messrs Barnes and Hill said that peace-time conscription would seriously affect production and the national economy, and they claimed that the primary purpose of peacetime conscription was strike-break-ing. They were confident the trade union movement would form a common front against it.