PROPOSED INCREASES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27384, 9 May 1950, Page 6

PROPOSED INCREASES

Federation To Approach Government

MILITANTS MAY DEMONSTRATE Industrial Correspondent WELLINGTON, May 8. - The trade union movement is still in a state of confusion over the course to be taken to secure early and effective wage increases to cover the rise in the cost of living which took place from today. It is believ I that militants attending the Labour Party Conference in Aucklahd are planning to hold a demonstration against the riemoval of subsidies and to call for immediate wage increases. The Federation of Labour will take the constitutional course by approaching the Government for clarification of the position of wageearners under the proposed wage adjustments.

The secretary of the Federation of Labour, Mr K. McL. Baxter, in a statement tonight, said: “The Federation of Labour notes that Mr Holland proposes to call the attention of the Court of Arbitration to the increases in the prices of necessaries since the lifting of subsidies and hints that g mere 4 per cent, will restore the purchasing power of the workers.” Mr Holland avoided telling the public that under the recently gazetted economic stabilisation regulations, any general order made by the court would apply only to minimum award rates and would not automatically affect workers above award minimum rates as standard wage pronouncements used to do. It would be necessary for workers in these cases to approach their employers direct. The federation believed that this position should be adjusted and it would approach the Government accordingly.

It is understood that the federation desires this adjustment because under, the present law, if an order increasing wages is made, then another cannot follow it for 12 months, even though the workers may be confronted with further increases in the cost of living during that period. The trade union movement and workers generally have expressed keen interest in the timing of the wage increase and the possibility of its being made retrospective to coincide with the increase in prices which came into operation today. It does not appear, however, that with the regulations .as they now stand, the court can make any order effective before June 2 next, which is 12 months after the date of the last standard wage pronouncement.