New Guinea is "on" again

over salaries

The most explosive single issue in Papua-New Guinea politics— Public Service salaries—is about to back into the arbitration court.

The Public Service Association has ordered an entirely new case, claiming general increases for local (New Guinean) officers.

If the case runs its full course it will affect, in one way or another, all of Papua-New Guinea’s 14,000 local officers in the Public Service.

The case will be waged under the territory’s brand-new arbitration laws, approved in March.

The new laws provide for an arbitration bench of one or three men, depending on the importance of the issue; a separate body to carry out specific research for the bench; specific provision for negotiation and conciliation as the first step to try to solves issues out of court; and, perhaps most important of all, pro vision for selected New Guineans to assist the arbitrators and the court— the first attempt to “involve” locals in the process of arbitration.

The Public Service Association would like more safeguards in the new legislation, specifically to avoid any manipulation in selecting the bench of three, but the Administra tion has been adamant.

"Disenchanted"

In the House of Assembly in March, the leader of the Independent Group, W. A. Lussick (Manus and New Ireland) was largely instru mental in giving New Guineans a part in arbitration for the first time, and he told the PSA to wait a few months before atempting any further amendments.

The PSA’s disenchantment with arbitration processes in P-NG dates from May 11, 1967, when Canberra appointed Public Service Arbitrator L. G. Matthews handed down a judgment giving adult, un-married native officers in the Public Service an extra 76 cents a week.

But the serial began much earlier.

In 1960: A tripartite mission from Canberra examines Papua-New Guinea’s general labour conditions (wages, conditions, safety) and com ments that the Administration must do something about the public service wages bill. Native officers going into the service were being paid at Aus tralian rates and in a few years,

when thousands were in the Public Service, the economy would be un able to stand it.

In 1964 (September 10): Australia completely reorganises the Public Service in Papua-New Guinea, allow ing native officers to join with lower qualifications and giving them the chance of much more rapid pro motion. To help offset the cost of the new and quickly growing service, salaries for native officers were re duced from 39 to 61 per cent, of the salary for an Australian in the same job. General student and public servant protest marches. 1965, January: lan Downs (High lands) tries in House of Assembly to transfer control of Public Service from Canberra to Port Moresby, but fails. One outcome was the establish ment of a Public Service Board in 1969. PSA goes to arbitration for general increases for native officers. 1966: Government concedes some increases, and a family needs-allow ance to offset varying cost-of-living factors in territory centres. 1967: Arbitrator Matthews gives base-grade local officers an extra 76 cents a week, with increases rang ing up to $6OO a year in the top-rank jobs to be filled later by native officers. The salaries now ranged from 34 to 75 per cent, of the pay for an Australian in the same job.

Native officers react with a protest march through Port Moresby. 1969: New arbitration laws, and PSA begins preparing entirely new case for salary increases.

The first step in June will be negotiation and conciliation with the government, to try to settle the claims out of court. The government places a lot of value on arbitration, has closely noted the disenchantment with the earlier legislation, and would much rather see the new case go before the new arbitration court.

The PSA has said that if the government does not meet its claims out of court by the end of July, the PSA will go to arbitration.

To get ready for court, the PSA has been negotiating for its former Industrial Advocate, Mr. Paul Munro, to return to the territory from Aus tralia, where he’s been looking for opportunities in industrial advocacy.