“More Radical” Claims by Public Service Pending

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23082, 21 October 1949, Page 8

“More Radical” Claims by Public Service Pending

(P.A.) WELLINGTON. Oct. 21. “We are getting all that the other sections of the service have got and we have a foot in the door to get more.” In thes words, Mr. J. F. I.ewin, president of the New Zealand Public Service Association, summed up the result of 12 months of negotiation with the Government on the public service salary and tribunal issues when he addressed GOO public servants in Wellington last night.

Mr. Lew’in said that tlrc.v would get an immediate increase of £l3 yearly at the skilled base from the new Government Service Tribunal within the next fortnight. Alter that the association would go into conciliation with claims for "more radical claims, involving another £35 per annum.” ■ The judgment of public servants on the new set lip, said Mr. Lewin, would depend on the results it achieved for the service.

The meeting carried by acclamation a vote of appreciation of the services of Mr. Lewin and other officers in carrying through the negotiations. In a similar manner it expressed satisfaction at the successful outcome of the negotiations foi the establishment of a new tribunal and asked the national executive to proceed immediately in conciliation with claims to bring the salaries of public servants ‘‘back into a proper relationship with the income of other sections of the community.” Judgment Reserved

“While welcoming the progress made,” the resolution added. “We shall reserve final judgment until we are able to measure the results in terms of salary rates commensurate with the services being given.”

Mr, Lewin summarised the negotiations with the Government in the following 10 points:— (1) More than a year had elapsed since the combined State service organisations had begun to urged the Government to act on the report of the Margins and Anomalies Committee which recommended that workers in the service should be paid £35 a year more as from October 1. 1947, to bring them into line with their counterparts in private enterprise.

(2) In the face of public service opposition the Government legislated an unsatisfactory tribunal and decreed that the £35 issue had to be determined by that tribunal. (3) Early this year the tribunal, following decisions of the railways and post and telegraph tribunals, awarded public servants covered by ihe association an increase of £22 yearly, hut did not say whether this was in settlement of the £35 claim, or tn anticipation of a pending Arbitration Court decision which subsequently turned out to he £35. (4) In June the Court awarded 4ld an hour (£35 yearly) for skilled workers. Awards to Other Service* (51 In recent months various tribunals had awarded other State services another £l3 on their previous £22. This meant that those services were .still £35 behind workers in industry and public servants covered by the association were still £l3, plus £35, behind. (6) The association had in the last year striven to obtain a reconstitution of the Government salaries Tribunal as a satisfactory wage-fixing body and to secure or create conditions for securing all, or as much as possible, of the £35 after getting the £l3 other sections had received. (71 The association had at last succeeded in getting a reconstitution of the tribunal in spite of protracted negotiations punctuated by the Holmes letter scare and the agreement with the Government was as satisfactory as the association could expect to get, (8) Tlie new tribunal would probably award members covered by the association a further £l3 next week. Next week also conciliation proceedings. in accordance with the new legislation. would begin on the association's more radical claimsMore Radical Claims

(9) The success of tlie tribunal and salaries campaigns would not be measured by the £22 and £l3, or by the new “cellophane-wrapped” tribunal, but by the extent to which the-tribunal met the association's more - radical claims. (101. Since the Conciliation Council proceedings were about to begin and since the Public Service Commission must admit a substantial degree of Government direction, the public service would best be able to judge the attitude of the Government to their new deliberations by the extent of any offer by the commission on the salary scales from grade six to special grade. Mr. .T. Turnbull, secretary of the association, said that the association hoped the expected £l3 rise would date from June 1, 1949. Tlie commission’s original proposal was that it should date from July 1, but there wa no reason why it should not be June 1.