Post Office Engineers, Mr. Charles Smith, puts forward the following suggestions about incomes in the latest issue of his union’s journal. As he says: “These are not put forward officially on behalf of the Union but I would hope that in fact they would commend themselves as reasonable to very many members of the P.O.E.U.” The article continues: “(r) It is of great importance that prices should be kept in check. This ‘s empjhasised in the Statement of Intent and by the plan of the government to set up a body which shall have the job of reviewing not only wage movements but price movements as well. There are all sorts of arrangements in industry which help to drive up prices—among them are the monopoly controls which exist in a number of industries, the continuance on many articles of resale price maintenance despite the Resale Price Maintenance Act passed last year, and wasteful systems of distribution which mean that a housewife pays six to twelve times as much for vegetables and other farm produce as the farmer receives. “(2) There must be general fairness in the distribution of incomes and rewards. Excessive dividend increases ought to be out and so ought some of the fashionable methods of tax evasion and tax avoidance. (It is worth remembering that Sweden, which is so often held up nowadays as a model of good industrial relations and which has certainly succeeded in establishing a very high standard of living, has had a Labour Government for thirty years. This has insisted on a good many measures to promote social justice through taxation and the social services). (3) Any principles laid down in respect of wages must be laid down in agreement with the trade union movement and in particular must not operate unfairly against the public sector of industry. “(4) It will be a mistake if anybody tries to lay down, whether by agreement or not, principles in respect of wages which are too inflexible. One thing that industry needs is the | make productivity bargains in which improved basic wages are negotiated for practical measures which raise productivity. “Ve Tie principle of independent arbitration must continue to be observed.
“Everybody, irrespective of party, recognises that the present government has got a very difficult economic situation to cope with and that this economic situation has developed to its present state of difficulty over a number of years. |The proposals which it makes in the field of industry it has sought to discuss and agree with the trade unions and employers with a care that no previous government has ever shown. The document which has resulted merits at least our careful study and our constructive consideration.”
The comments of his members on this matter are instructive. They can be found in the following resolutions which have been submitted to the Annual Conference of the P.O.E.U.:
28. Believing that a prerequisite to an “incomes policy” is stable prices of all commodities and services, instructs the incoming National Executive Council to refrain from committing the Union in any way to such a policy unless and until Annual Conference agrees that prices have indeed been stabilised.
Birmingham Power
_ Whilst admitting the desirability of a planned economy, does not consider that within the present system it is possible to formulate an incomes policy which will not militate against the interests of wage earners in general, and Government employees in particular; Conference, therefore, rejects any proposal embodying the policy of wage restraint.
London Factories
. Recognising the urgent need for an overall plan for telecommunications development which is in the best interests of the community as a whole, calls on the Government to
nationalise (the telephone manufac-
turing industry. The implementa-
tion of this policy would result in the
vast sums which at the moment are
diverted to private profit being
ploughed back into the industry for
the nation’s benefit.
London Factories
28. Recognising the impossibility
of achieving an incomes policy that
effectively restricts profits, interest
and dividends, rejects any attempt
to restrict the wage-earners’ freedom
to bargain, and declares its determina-
tion to protect and advance the living
standards of our members by all avail-
able means.
Met, North West
P. Morris