PUBLIC SERVICE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23400, 17 July 1939, Page 14

PUBLIC SERVICE

; TEMPORARY WORKERS SEPARATE UNIONS OPPOSED ONE ORGANISATION DESIRED [BY TELEGRAPH —I'RKSS ASSOCIATION]' WELLINGTON, Saturday The controversy about the organisation to which temporary public, servants should belong was advanced further by Mr. H. J. Underwood, secretary of the New Zealand Association of Temporary Public Servants, in a statement referring to the recent statement by Mr. W. N Pharazyn, secretary of the New Zealand Clerical Employees' Association, on the subject of attempts by temporary State employees to obtain improved conditions. Mr. Underwood said only SO of the 5000 odd temporary State employees had sought the aid of the Federation of Labour, through Mr. Pharazyn, who, be claimed, had admitted this. Dominion Body "The New Zealand Association of Temporary Public Servants is a Dominion organisation." he said, "and it has never Miught assistance of the Federation of Labour, or even of Mr. Pliarazyn. Although Mr. Pharazyn has professed ignorance of its activities, he knows as much as he is entitled to know about it. In these circumstances Mr. Pharazyn had no grounds for saying that temporary officers were hound to follow the advice he presumed to give them on behalf of the federation." Mr. Underwood .also objected to Mr. ' Pharazyn's suggestion that the New Zealand Association of Temporary Public Servants was his association. "1 ant merely an officer of the as- ! sociatiou to which I belong," said.Mr. i Underwood. "I. have no proprietary frights as far as it is concerned." Mr. Underwood contended that Mr. Pliarazyn had misstated the position about the conference stated to have taken place on June 4. Tic claimed that no conference took place, but a deputation of those mentioned by Mr. Pliarazyn had waited on the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb. Question o 1 Salaries Mr. Pharazyn had told him that the, conference had been arranged with three Cabinet Ministers to settle the question of temporary officers' salaries, and the New Zealand Association of Temporary Public Servants was asked to be represented at it. Mr. Pharazyn and his deputation refused to admit the association's representatives, who were attending with the sole object of watching the interests of their members. Mr. Underwood claimed that Mr. Pharazyn's organisation was misrepresenting the attitude of\ the Government when its officials alleged that the Minister'of Labour had approved temporary officers joining separate unions. Mr. Webb bad definitely repudiated having given such approval. - The suggestion that temporary Stato employees should he spread over many unions was actually opposed to the policy of the Federation of Labour, continued- Mr. Utidcrwood. It was the declared . policy of that body that workers should ho organised on an industrial and not on a craft basis. Therefore, there was no doubt that temporary « public .servants should have their own national organisation. This was the . view that had received support froiii many of.the unions in question, . ? . . ; .