34 Or 36 Hours?

PNG Public Servants and The Working Week

From Our Own Correspondent

Pt. Moresby, Dec. 5.

THE public servants of Papua and New Guinea are still meeting and protest ing about the recent increase in Administration working hours from 34 to 364 weekly. But even in a “civil service” war, words are poor weapons against authority, and so far only an optimistic gambler would put money on the civil servants’ chances of getting back to 34 hours.

On his return from abroad, the Minister for External Territories, Mr. Spender got a lot of questions fired at him from the floor of the House about the increased hours, and a good tally of protests had also stacked up on his much over-loaded desk. Mr. Spender said some of the pro tests from the Public Service Association had reached him before he went overseas, and he had told the protest delegations that “in view of the difficulties involved” the increase should not be considered ex cessive. He promised to further consider the matter, but did not see any prospect of restoring the old hours.

The PSA went back into action then and mustered up another deputation from among its members on leave in Australia, including the Association Secretary, John Irvine. From brief cable reports Mr.

Irvine apparently saw several people in Canberra, Including Mr. Spender. An other in the long series of anti-increased hours meetings, scheduled originally for early December, has been postponed until the 15th. This will give the PSA a chance to hear, first-hand, what happened when Mr. Irvine got to Canberra.

Meanwhile, although the PSA and its increasing number of branches through out the Territory, continue to oppose the move, the Public Service Commissioner, Mr. Head, continues to stand pat and watch the by-play now taking place be tween the Association and Canberra.

The civil servants are hammering the point that any change in hours should have been the subject of negotiation be tween the External Territories Depart ment, the Administration (or whoever pulls the’ strings on the puppets), and the Public Service Association. There is something in this argument, but it is difficult to demand reclassification and other improvements (?) in the service without being prepared to throw some thing into the kitty as well. Anyway, negotiation would have been more diplo matic, even if diplomacy moved inex orably towards a predetermined decision.

That phase of the business at least would have had plenty of precedent in much higher circles.

Perhaps John Irvine’s report will ring down the curtain on the episode; per haps Mr. Spender will have the last word on the subject in the House before the session ends.

But, so far, the only definite thing about the whole business is that the new siren installed at Konedobu screams out its “down tools” signal at 4.03 in stead of 3.30 PM.