Wages and salaries cannot be controlled from a central national body without doing grave injustice to millions of workers. In wage and salary negotiations account must be taken of the very varied circumstances of those directly affected. There are at least six main general grounds on which wage and salary aims can be based: @ Increased productivity in an industry or a particular establishment. © Increased profits. e@ The need to attract new labour. This may be necessary in an industry or undertaking which is expanding. It may also be necessary in an occupation where existing wages or salaries fail to attract a sufficient number of new entrants. @ The need to provide adequate differentials for education, skill and training. This applies, particularly for example, to technicians and technologists.
@ The need to ensure that the
lowest paid workers do not
fall below a reasonable sub-
sistence standard.
@ Increases in the cost of living.
a
writes:
Extracted from an article in “Fire-
fighter,” by Henry Collins.
HILE trade unionists are always
striving, naturally enough, to
push up real wages, there is little jov
In pay increases that must soon be
largely lost in rising prices. With a
Tory Government busily raising rents,
enriching land speculators and reliey-
ing the rich of their surtax, trade
unionists were right to concentrate on
securing pay increases for their mem-
bers. If there is to be a free for all,
as Frank Cousins pointed out, “we are
part of the all.” The converse, how-
ever, is equally true. A planned
economy is inconceivable without
some planning of incomes, and the
Labour Government will stand or
fall on its success in achieving this.