NZ CIVIL SERVANTS AT LONDON AIR GRIEVANCES

Grey River Argus, 14 November 1949, Page 5

NZ CIVIL SERVANTS AT LONDON AIR GRIEVANCES

P.A. WELLINGTON, Nov. 13. “No new instructions have been issued. The ordinary provisions under the Public Service Act apply to those in London as well as New Zealand”, said the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, tnis afternoon, when he commented on a cabled story from London to the effect that instructions had been given to all New Zealand civil servants in London that they are not to discuss grievances with representatives of the New Zealand press.

Earlier Mr J. P. Lewin, president of the Public Servants’ Association, had said the conditions of New Zealand civil servants stationed in London do not come under the control of the Public Service Commissi >n.

“There is a Ivaternal arrangement between our association and the staff of New Zealand House in London, who have a New Zealand staff association”, said Mr Lewin. “In the past, there has been a loose arrangement, under which we, to a degree, have acted as their agents in the Dominion, but we have not made representations on the points mentioned in the cabled story”. The reported grievances were known by his association, and he was of the opinion that at least some of them were solidly based. During his visit to England in 1947, he met members of the staff of New Zealand House and discussed the possibility of them being admitted to the association. His association was willing to admit them, although they would hgve been to some degree a liability, but nothing come of the move then. The conditions of public servants in London were controlled by a committee consisting of the Secretary of the Department of External Affairs (Mr A. D. Mclntosh), a representative of the Treasury, and the chairman of the Public Service Commission (Mr E. M. Campbell). A message from London said: New Zealand civil servants in. London have been instructed not to discuss their grievances with representatives of Dominion newspapers, at the order, it is understood, of the Minister of External Affairs (Mr Fraser). A message in August from London stated a deputation from the .staff of New Zealand House had waited upon the High Commissioner (the Rt. Hon. W. J. Jorodan) and asked him to bring a number of complaintt; before the Prime Minister. When an effort was made this week to ascertain whether there had been any official reply to these submissions, a New Zealand Press Association representative was told that no information could be given. The grievances were said to arise in general from four main causes: — (1) Failure of New Zealand authorities in fixing scales of remuneration in the United Kingdom to make an adequate allowance for a steep rise in the cost of living in Britain, and particularly for the high cost of living in London. (2) Failure to ensure that salaries and allowances paid in London are reasonably equivalent to those paid for comparable positions in other New Zealand diplomatic posts such as Washington, Ottawa, Moscow and Canberra. (3) Failure to ensure that they also compare reasonably with remuneration paid for comparable work and responsibility by other Commonwealth Governments with offices in London. (4) Failure to make readjustments in New Zealand income tax demands after revaluation of the New Zealand £ to parity with sterling. It was claimed New'Zealand civil servants are at present the poorest paid of any of the employees of the four senior Dominions in London. Until the New Zealand £ was brought to parity with sterling in 1948 New Zealand officials in London had been able to recoup themselves a little by takingadvantage of the sterling exchange rate in remitting insurance premiums and other money to New Zealand. Revaluation of the New Zealand pound removed this advantage and also depreciated the value of capital which civil servants took to London with them from the Dominion, compared with the capital previously taken when the New Zealand pound was worth less than sterling. Rt. Hon. Mr Fraser said that, while the civil servants in London had to observe the same rules as civil servants in New Zealand, “that does not present the representation or publication of grievances by members of the staff in London”, Mr Fraser added. “The various matters have been receiving close attention, and it is anticipated that a decision will be given at an early date”. Personally, added the. Prime Minister, he had no objection to statements being made to the press by committees representing the employees in the High Commissioner's office.