WAGES ISSUE AND STABILISATION REGULATIONS

Grey River Argus, 23 February 1949, Page 3

WAGES ISSUE AND STABILISATION REGULATIONS

Effect of Amendments WELLINGTON, February 22. “The new regulations give the Federation of Labour an opportunity to state a case for a wage increase for the worker against the employer, compared with the previous position, when the regulations limited the case to workers against workers’’,'said the secretary of the Federation, Mr K. M'cL. Baxter, to-day, commenting on the gazetted amendment to the Economic Stabilisation Emergency Regulations. He added that he had only received a copy of the new regulations, which change the conditions under which the Arbitration Court may make a general order increasing wages, this morning, and had not had time to study them fully. DID EMPLOYERS” DISAGREE WITH AMENDMENTS ?' Minister's Statement Questioned CHRISTCHURCH, February 22. The statement made by the Minister of Labour, the Hon. A. McLagan, that the New Zealand Employers’ Federation had agreed to the amendments to the Economic Stabilisation Emergency Regulations, gazetted yesterday, was emphatically denied by the vice-president of the Federation (Mr W. G. V. Fernie), who is acting for the president (Mr Janies Cable, of Wellington), who is overseas. “The Minister’s statement is de ■ finitely incorrect”, said Mr Fernie. “The Federation did not agree to the amendments,' -but in fact protested against the proposals and submitted to the Minister, through the Secretary of Labour, copies of objections received from affiliated organisations”.

MR McLAGAN REAFFIRMS HIS STATEMENT

P.A. WELLINGTON, February 22. "My statement that representatives of the Federation of Labour and of the Employers’ Federation had been consulted in regard to the recent amendments to the Economic Stabilisation Emergency Regulations, and had expressed their agreement with the amendments, is correct”, said Hon. A. McLagan to-day.

He was replying to the statement made in Christchurch to-day by Mr W. G. V. Fernie. vice-president of the New Zealand Employers' Federation. “After my statement had been given to the press yesterday, I was advised that opposition to the amendments had been expressed by some sections of the Employers’ Federation”, the Minister continued. "However, such subsequent objections do not render incorrect my statement that the amendments were agreed to by representatives of the two Federations, who discussed them with me, and who thoroughly understood the amendments, and were in the position to form a considered judgment in regard to them. From the general tenor of objections which have been communicated to me, it would seem that those who have forwarded an objection have not had the same opportunity of becoming fully acquainted with the amendments, and have arrived at ill-considered and incorrect conclusions as to their real effect. A careful study of the regulations will show that the amendments contain no new principles, and that there is no real ground for the objections”, concluded the Minister.