EMBARGO NOT FOR RELEASE BEFORE-9 P. M. ( EST) I
FOR PRESS P. M. Nn. 79/ 1965
COMMONWEALTH PUBLIC SERVICE ANNUAL LEAVE
Statement by the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies
The Government has decided not to grant an increase from three to four weeks in the standard of annuaI leave for cfficers and employees in the Commonwealth Public Service and Commonwealth instrumentalities. The request for four weeks' annual leave was made to the Government by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the High Council of Commonwealth Public Service Organisations and the Australian Council of Salaried and Professional Associations.
The claims by the unions also sought commensurate adjustments to all who already receive in excess of three weeks annual leave", for example, shift workers who already receive four weeks' annual leave. The Cabinet closely examined the full and carefully documented case presented to me on Friday 1st October, 1965.
In its view the case for an extra week's leave was not substantiated.
In making comparisons between the Cimmonwealth and States, and the Commonwealth and other countries, all the facts must be taken into consideration. As an example, although, as pointed out by the deputation, the pub] ic services in a number of overseas countri3s provide for ahditional annual leave based on age, status or lergth of service, they do not provide for the substantial furlough, or lon-service leave, entitlements which are available in the Commonwealth Service and also in other public services in Australia. If an extra week's leave for the total staff in Commonwealth employment were granted, an additional 5,800 workers
would be needed. This would increase the annual wage and salary
bill of the Commonwealth by about œ 9M. For example in the
P. M. G.' s Department alone, an extra week's leave would require an
additional 1,650 employees estimated to cost œ 2.35M. a year.
Export inspection services in the Department of Primary Industry
are another example the Deoartment would have to increase its
demands on the already very limited community resources of
veterinarians and qualified meat and dairy inspectors. Similar
difficulties would arise in other areas of Commonwealth employment,
for example Repatriation services, defence oroduction factories,
airlines, etc. An increase in annual leave to Commonwealth
employees almost certainly would have repercussions throughout
the community. It , uould undoubtedly be of great significance not
only to State and local governments but also to private employers.
The granting of the additional leave must have the
effect of increasing the amount of overtime worked at a time when
overtime is already excessive and additional demands for labour
must increase the pressure on wages and prices as competition
for labour becomesmnre intense.
In order to Ifset the 1ls of ne week's work by
the 5.4 million civilian employees ( excluding II. S. W. Government
workers who already have four weeks' leave), it would be necessary
to recruit some 75,000 additional workers. This would be well Aikh
impossible as there are very few untapped resources of labour a
the moment. At the end of August 56690 people were registerd
for employment with the Commonwealth Employment Service and zhbre
were 47,600 unfilled vacancies.
CANBERRA, 14th October, 1965.