Industrial notes

continued, Call for Five-Day Week The National Union of Bank Employees decided at their conference by 29,209 votes to 22,755 to call for a five-day week in banking as soon as possible, A movement to demand payment of overtime to staff for working on Saturday was rejected, Entry into national negotiating machinery on the basis of three constituent bodies was also authorised, Mr. A.G, Brooks, general secretary, told delegates: "This is only the beginning of a new era for the union and for all banking men and women," Pay Offer Rejected by P.O. Workers, An offer of a pay increase for 30,000 Post Office telephonists, made last Monday, has been rejected by the executive of the Union of Post Office Workers, which will tell the Post Office that it does not form a basis for negotiations. The telephonists were offered an increase of 2s. a week on the wage of £5 Os 6d at 15, 8s 6d a week on £7 13s at 18, 9s on £8 6s 6d at 19, dropping to 7s 6d on £9 3s at 20. The increases on the 21 - 25 age range would be 6s on wages of £10 10s 6d to £12 10s 6d and 5s on the maximum rate of £13 7s 6d over 25. On Tuesday, May 23rd, at the union's annual conference at Bournemouth, Tom Jackson the General Secretary, said: "This is a first offer and it is totally unacceptable. Last night the executive council resolved that I should write to the Post Office and tell them this offer does not form the basis for negotiation and ask for a fresh offer." Attack on Prices and Incomes Act. Last Monday ASSET instructed its lawyers to get every breach of contract case into court as soon as possible because it is anxious to see the end of the Prices and Incomes Act, Clive Jenkins, General Secretary of ASSET, referred to this when addressing the annual conference of the Society of Technical Civil Servants at Margate, He called the act "disreputable" and said he supported those Ministers who were now urging a change in policy. The demand they were making inside the Government for a stimulus to the economy deserved a reaction from every Labour Party and trade union in Brit@in, said Mr. Jenkins. "The effects of the Chancellor's disastrous Budget must be liquidated as soon as possible, At the same time, when Labour Parties write to Transport House they should insist there are no amendments put forward to the Prices and Incomes Act, but that Part 4 should lapse as promised on August 11, and Part 2 should not be invoked. Unless this is done the Labour Party faces even greater electoral losses in the future," TGWU Joins Attack on P & I In the latest edition of the TGWU journal the union says that the tremendous unpopularity of the Labour Party in the country at the moment stems from the obvious unfairness in the way the incomes policy has been applied and in Government inability to hold: down prices, Another cause for discontent had been continuance of heavy unemployment in the last few months,