NURSES’ PAY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21385, 21 April 1944, Page 2

NURSES’ PAY

UPWARD REVISION STABILISATION BAR COMMENT BY BOARD Comment upon the difficulties found in arranging for upward revision of the scale of nurses’ salaries was made at a meeting of the Cook Hospital Board yesterday, when the fate of a recent application to the Stabilisation Commission was communicated to it. The Hospital Boards Association advised that the proposed new scale of salaries for nursing staffs had been put before the Economic Stabilisation Commission, which had declined to approve the scale. The reason stated was that the commission had not the power to raise minimum rates, that being a function of the Court of Arbitration. The matter was being resubmitted'to the 'commission for approval of the maximum rates only, as set out in the scale, and if approval was granted the same purpose would be served. The' association suggested that the board m.ake : provisional allowance in the estimates lor the new rates, where there were resulting increases. The managing-secretary, Mr C. A. Harries, stated that .the amount involved for the year by increases under the .new scale would be £1152. Mrs Ada E. Beer and Mrs E. R. Scott took exception to the" fact that application had to be made through the Stabilisation Commission for authority to pay the nurses what was considered" a' reasonable scale of wages. It was pointed out by Mrs Scott that at one time the Nurses and Midwives’ Association had discussed the feasibility of instituting a nurses' union, Which would have enabled .them to go to the Arbitration Court for an award. The decision had been against this course, however, as it was felt that the association as it existed could look alter the matter of salaries. Dominated by Older Women Mrs Scott registered the opinion that the association was dominated by the older and higher-ranking members of the profession, who when discussing the wages of nurses could not forget that in their own earlier association with the profession they had worked for much lower salaries and under much worse conditions. Mrs Beer supported this view, and declared that domination of the Nurses’ Association by the older members stood in the way of better conditions for the younger nurses, who had to face a changed environment arid a higher cost-of-living scale. The chairman, Mr M. T. Trafford, stated that the Nurses and Midwives’ Association was a live body, which had had a lot to do with improving the salary scales and conditions in the pi'ofession. Mr G. D. Muirhead recalled a statement by the Prime'Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, that'the Nurses’ Association was a very live and influential body. He presumed that if the commission agreed to the payment of the new proposed salary scale as a maximum scale, the board would put the scale into effect. Mr J. H. Hall considered that the nurses should overcome their objections to becoming registered as a union of workers, and then place themselves in a position to go before the Arbitration Court, instead of depending upon negotiations directly with the hospital boards. The chairman agreed with Mr Muirhead as to the application of the new scale in the Cook Hospital if the Stabilisation Commissioner approved. Provision already had been made in the estimates for £1152 requii'ed to cover increases in nursing pay envisaged in the new scale. He moved that this pi’ovision be confirmed, explaining that if the scale was not approved by the commissioner the item would remain unexpended. The chairman’s motion was carried.