POST AND TELEGRAPH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27026, 10 March 1949, Page 8

POST AND TELEGRAPH

INCREASES JUSTIFIED PA WELLINGTON, Mar. 9, By a majority of two to one, the Post and Telegraph, Staff Tribunal, consisting of Judge Stilweil (chairman), Mr J. J. Knight, departmental representative, and Mr G. A. Wilkes, representing the Post and Telegraph employees, decided that a general wage increase is 1 justified in the department, and that, with the exceptions mentioned in paragraph 2, all classified first and second division employees and all temporary employees should receive increases as follows: — (A) £22 if paid on an annual basis; (B) 2Jd an hour if paid on an hourly basis; and (C) 8s 4d a week if paid on a weekly basis. The exceptions referred to in paragraph 1 are: (A). £lO per annum increase to those whose salaries do not exceed £lB5 per annum; (B), £ls per annum increase to those whose salaries exceed £lB5 per annum, but do not exceed £275 per annum; (C), temporary 1 employees receiving hourly or weekly rates of pay whiqh, when computed on an annual basis, fall within the salary ranges set out in (A) and (B), to receive an increase of either Id or lid an hour, or 3s 4d or 5s a week, as the case might be; (D), temporary female office cleaners to receive a pro rata weekly increase based on a rate of 2id per hour in accordance with the number of hours worked of the full working week of 40 hours. The increased rates prescribed will in all cases operate from July 1, 1948. but will not be regarded as effective until incorporated in the usual departmental circular dealing with the subjcct. In’ a dissenting finding, Mr Wilkes disagrees with the above conclusions on the grounds that the evidence brought before the tribunal justified a higher rate of increase, with retrospective effect -to October 1, 1947.