FURTHER RISE WANTED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27094, 31 May 1949, Page 6

FURTHER RISE WANTED

POST AND TELEGRAPH WAGES * DISADVANTAGEOUS POSITION ALLEGED Special Correspondent WELLINGTON, May 30. The New Zealand Post and Telegraph Employees’' Association is to seek a further increase' in wages. This is announced in the association’s official journal, just issued, which states that the Executive Committee had met in Wellington and considered reports from all who had participated in the recent tribunal proceedings. Mr G. A. Wilkes, who represented the service as a member of the tribunal, was present. A full study of all aspects of the wage question resulted in the following decisions:—

“ That the Government be approached regarding the extra takehome money available to workers in private industry. Though some such payments are legal while others are flagrantly illegal, the result is invariably the same —Government workers are placed at a disadvantage. The Government is to be asked to state what measures it proposes to take to bring Post Office employees into an equivalent economic position with such workers.

“That irrespective of the action contemplated in the previous paragraph, a claim be lodged forthwith for a rise equivalent to the maximum amount authorised by the Arbitration Court for outside workers. Tt was noted that, despite the fact that negotiations preceding the tribunal sittings had stressed the fact that flat rate increases had destroyed margins, the tribunal’s decision was to grant a further flat-rate increase. Accordingly it was decided at the earliest opportunity that representations would again be made for the'wages of tradesmen to be increased in accordance with the policy of the association.”