THE ASSOCIATION'S REPLY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLIV, Issue XLIV, 28 April 1924, Page 4

THE ASSOCIATION'S REPLY.

MANY GRIEVANCES. PROBABILITY OF BALLOT. WELLINGTON, April 28. The Post and Telegraph officers complain that the Hon. J. G. Ooates' statement was not delivered to them in time to frame a reply before the telegraph office closed. They g& on to say that the fact which stands out most clearly is the Postmaster-General's avoidance of any reference to the leading principle of tiie association's request, namely, the basic wage of 1914, plus the known increase in the cost of living. That principle was recognised by himself in 1920, but to-day is ignored. He refers to the demand for a basic wage of £4 10s weekly, but merely discusses ! the possibility that certain unmarried , men will be getting a substantial increase if this is adopted, and omits ' reference to the married men with lie- j pendants. In his reference to employ- ! ees qualifying by examination for ' higher positions, he omits tbe number j who.have tried to pass and failed ! Another important factor overlooked is that promotion usually means transfer and expense, and rather than break up his heme and interfere with their chil- , dren's education officers refrain from applying. In any case there are 250 waiting, and most have been on the waiting lits for years. Apart from this, the association holds that a man should be paid on the value of the work he is j called on to perform, whereas employees i who are highly skilled workers are j paid less than similar men, linotype operators, for instance. Some attention :

must be given to the desire of the ser- ' vice to have the increment climb front j the minimum to the maximum speeded jup in 1918. This was the policy of the> . department itself, for it submitted proposals to reduce the period from 14' ; years to eight. It is strange now to- ; find it strenuously defending eleven j years. Mr Coates is also misinformed ias to bank bonuses. Two banks have> paid 10 to 15 per cent to their officers. The>association insists that Mr Coates*" reply shows that their case is bound up with the raihvay dispute, and will receive no consideration until the latteris settled. In view of this they have no recourse but to refer the whole matter to the service.