SMALL RISE IN WAGES OF POST OFFICE WORKERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 August 1949, Page 9

SMALL RISE IN WAGES OF POST OFFICE WORKERS

WELLINGTON, August 1 (P.A.) —General wage increases for Post and Telegraph Department eniployees were announced today in the finding of the Post and Telegraph Staff Tribunal. A dissenting opinion wa.§ expressed by the employees' member of the tribunal, who did not agree that the increases were large enough. The tribunal found that increases were justified to all classified first and second division employees and temporarj r employees. The increases are based on £l3 a year to those whose salary exceeds the rate of £412 a year, £8 to those on between £298. and £4ll, and £5 to those whose salaries do not exceed £297.

The statement, announcing the decision said the equivalent hourly and weekly rates applying in each bracket would be l£d an hour or 5s a week, Id an hour or 3s 4d a week, and |d an hour or Is 8d a week: Temporary women office cleaners would receive a pro rata weekly increase based on a rate of Id and hour according to the number of hours worked of a full working week of 40 hours. The increased rates would operate from June 1 last, but would not be regarded as operative until incorporated in a departmental circular memoranda, which would be drafted immediately. Claims for increases were heard on July 12 before the tribunal, which comprised Judge Stilwell (chairman), Mr J. J. Knight (for the Post Office administration), and Mr McIvor (for the Post and Telegraph Employees’ Association). Mr Mclvor dissented to the decision on the ground “that the increase granted is sufficient to place the PostOffice employee only in the same relative position which he occupied on October 1, 1947, a position I believe to be unsatisfactory. The decision indicates that the tribunal has not given sufficient regard to the wages P§jd in industry. Such a failure makes it impossible to grant equity to the Post Offiice worker.”