PUBLIC SERVANTS CONFER ON TRIBUNAL’S WAGE DECISION

Wanganui Chronicle, 22 November 1950, Page 4

PUBLIC SERVANTS CONFER ON TRIBUNAL’S WAGE DECISION

WELLINGTON, Last Night (PA).— A Public Service Association special conference today in Wellington decided that the merit of the recent Tribunal decision on wages depended largely on whether any more or less general increase, awarded by the Arbitration Court, was applied in full to the Service. The Tribunal itself, in the present situation, largely stood or fell on that point. On this aspect, delegates were impressed by the forthrightness of the Tribunal decision, which provided foi’ the present gains to be retained in the event of the Arbitration Court granting a further increase on the grounds of cost of living. Serious shortcomings were that the Tribunal adopted a very conservative estimate of the ruling rate for tradesmen, based its increase upon that and ignored the ruling rates of labourers and clerks. Other unfavourable aspects included an insufficient widening of margins and a failure to make any determination on that portion of the association’s claim which related to the cost of living and the disparity of incomes. It was decided that the association should co operate with other State Services organisations, the Trade Union Congress and the Federation of Labour in the preparation of pending wage claims and in addition, it was considered that progress for all might be helped if joint discussions between State Service organisations and trade union organisations took place on the current wage position.