EMPLOYERS NOT AGAINST REVISION OF WAGES

Wanganui Chronicle, 6 May 1947, Page 6

EMPLOYERS NOT AGAINST REVISION OF WAGES

THEY WANT WAGE SCALES ADJUSTED AS BETWEEN VARIOUS CLASSES

XP-A.) Auckland, May 5 “The attitude of employers toward the proposed announcement by the Arbitration Court determining the standard rates of wages and the consequential review of wage rates in awards and agreements, should be clearly understood,” said Mr. W. E. Anderson, secretary of the Auckland Provincial Employers’ Association. “They are ready to appear before the Arbitration Court as soon as a date for the hearing of an application under the regulations is filed.” Mr Anderson said that shortly after the amending regulations were gazetted, he was appointed by the New Zealand Employers’ Federation to present the case for the employers. He confirmed the statement made by Mr. K. Baxter (secretary of the Federation of Labour), which was published on Thursday, that the arrangements were made as the result of a consultation between them, that the case should be heard on April 21 or 28. This was done a few days before the filing on March 25 of the application mentioned by Mr. Baxter. The hearing had not taken place because application had not been made to the Court to fix a date. Mr. Anderson said it would be premature to discuss the nature of the submissions we would make to the Court, but he could certainly say that it was not intended to oppose such re-

vision ot wages as was contemplated by the Government when it announced the amendment of the regulations. The Employers’ Federation recognised that since the wage rates were reviewed by the Arbitration Court in 1945, the general wage structure had been disturbed by agreements in Conciliation Councils, and by the decisions of special tribunals. Action was necessary to restore a proper relationship between the rates payable to workers of various classes. “I understand that revision of wage rates is held up,” Mr. Anderson added, “because a section of the members of the Federation of Labour is pressing for a general and uniform increase to workers of all classes, irrespective of any increases gained since the last revision in 1945. It should be obvious to the workers, and to the public generally, that agitation for a general increase was not prompted by consideration for the interests of the workers generally, and still less of the skilled workers, who have watched their margin being reduced by the operation of methods that are now being used to press a claim, of which the only result would be to preserve the advantage gained by some sections during the last two years, and to postpone the restoration of wages of other workers to the standards to which they are entitled.”