PUBLIC SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23867, 22 July 1939, Page 19

PUBLIC SERVICE

TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES' ASSOCIATION — / SECRETARY'S REPLY TO CRITICS <Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 21. An. interim reply to a statement recently issued by the Federation of Labour concerning temporary State employees, the secretary of the New Zealand Association of Temporary Public Servants (Inc.), Mr Underwood, said to-day: "The statement attributed to the Federation of Labour suggests that it is not in possession of all the facts regarding the activities of the temporary officers concerned; otherwise, I am certain that the federation would support the association I represent, but as the federation has not been approached by the association the action it has taken is rather premature."

Mr Underwood said that the circumstances in which the statement by the federation had been made gave striking proof of how misunderstandings between that body and an organisation of workers could be caused by the federation's failure to consult the workers in question. "The executive is perfectly well aware," Mr Underwood continued, "of the statements made by Messrs Walsh and Pharazyn, of the Clerks' Union, in connection with the activities of the New Zealand Association of Temporary Public Servants and certain of its officers. Time will prove the authenticity of such statements." It was not proposed that the association would reply fully to the federation's statement until it had been discussed at a general meeting to be held within the next fortnight, Mr Underwood said. "I must, however, point out," he added, " that, contrary to what appears to be circulating throughout the trade union movement, the New Zealand Association of Temporary Public Servants is not an organisation newly formed to oppose the Federation of Labour. It was formed and incorporated in May, 1936, and its policy has always been to cater for those temporary State employees who are not covered by award conditions or an agreement, and who are not adequately represented by the Public Service Association or any other State employees' organisation. In these circumstances, the suggestion that the association has been set up to pirate members from existing craft unions is a ridiculous one, explained only by the attempt of the Clerks' Union to absorb 2000 odd temporary State clerical workers who rightly should all be members of the Ttfew Zealand Association of Temporary Public Servants."