Wage Increases (Hansard, 29 June 1964)

§ Mr. Green

In April, 1956, the National Joint Council recommended that Scottish teachers (average salary at the time £693) should receive a uniform increase of £55; the Secretary of State for Scotland made regulations providing for a uniform increase of 7 per cent.

2. In October, 1957, the Health Ministers refused to approve an agreement of the National Health Service Whitley Council for Administrative and Clerical Staffs providing for an increase of 3 per cent. for N.H.S. administrative and clerical staff on salaries up to £1,200.

3. In January, 1958, the Home Secretary made Rules providing for increases of 8.2 per cent., instead of the 10 per cent. with effect from 1st January, 1957, recommended by the Joint Negotiating Committee for the Probation Service in England and Wales, in the salaries of senior, assistant principal, deputy principal and principal probation officers (which ranged from £764 to £1,600).

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4. In April, 1958, the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades recommended increases ranging from 6.4 per cent. to 13.6 per cent. for certain grades of firewomen on salaries ranging from £262 to £615; the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Scotland authorised instead increases ranging from 4.7 per cent. to 11.25 per cent.

5. In June, 1961, the National Joint Council recommended that Scottish teachers (average salary at that time £1,020) should receive increases averaging 18 per cent.; the Secretary of State for Scotland made regulations providing instead for increases averaging 14 per cent.

6. In July, 1961, the Minister of Education rejected a recommendation by the Burnham Main Committee for increases costing £47.5 million and averaging 16½ per cent. for school teachers (average salary at that time about £950), with the request that the Committee would work out instead an award costing not more than £42 million (average increase about 14½ per cent.).

7. In January, 1962, the Secretary of State for Scotland rejected a recommendation by the National Joint Council for increases for certain teachers, mainly non-graduate women teachers in Scottish primary schools (average salary at that time £934).

8. In April, 1962, the Joint Negotiating Committee for the Probation Service in England and Wales recommended an increase of 10 per cent. from 1st April, 1962, should be given to all probation officers in England and Wales (on salaries ranging from £625 to £2,100); the Home Secretary made Rules providing instead an increase of 2½ per cent.

9. In March and April, 1963, the Burnham Committees recommended new scales for teachers in maintained schools, establishments for further education and farm institutes (average salary at that time about £1,140). The Minister of Education was unable to accept their recommendations, not on the ground of the overall size of the increases proposed but on the ground of their distribution, and subsequently made regulations authorising increases of the same 175W amounts in total as those recommended by the Burnham Committees but differently distributed.

10. In September, 1963, the National Joint Council recommended increases averaging 10 per cent. overall for Scottish teachers (average salary at that time £1,182). The Secretary of State for Scotland was unable to accept this recommendation, not on grounds of the overall size of the increases but on the grounds of the distribution proposed, and made regulations providing for increases averaging 10 per cent. overall but differently distributed.

11. Between 26th July, 1961, and 31st March, 1962, the operative dates of settlements for certain groups of staff in the Civil Service and the National Health Service and of sixteen Wages Councils' proposals were deferred in the light of the statement made by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer on 25th July, 1961.