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In his "viewpoint" column in the December issue of the Garment ‘Yorker, John F, Newton, feneral secretary of the National Union of Teilor and Garment ‘Jorkers, discusses one aspect of the incomes policy which he finds "curious". "A few people" he says, "have discovered that weekly wages in manufacturing industry are composite wages and that the basic rates in relation to earnings are low. This leads some of them to conclude that the difference between wages rates snd carnings is wages drift, which is erroneous, A great deal of the earnings in manufacturing industry is directly related to increased production, which helps considerably to reduce the costs of manufacture,.....There is a need for more substantive national wage rates to be established through central collective bargnining processes, with the codification of the various systems of payments by results." He then goes on to the role of hire purchase, high rents and mortgage rates which “stimulates demands for levels of earnings", He concludes: "better regulation of this debt" would help to contain inflation. After attacking the way the Tories "tinkered" with the problem, Mr. Newton emphasises that he thinks “attention might be given to the army of 8 million working women who prime the oumps," :