SUBSIDISED WORKERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 116, 12 November 1938, Page 11

SUBSIDISED WORKERS

POSITION EXPLAINED

The official position of subsidised workers and their membership of a union is outlined in the following communication received by the General Labourers' Union from the Department of Labour: — From time to time inquiries are made to this Department as to whether it is mandatory for men employed by local bodies under scheme 13 to be members of the appropriate union covering the workers employed by such local bodies. In all cases where local bodj.es, are bound by awards or industrial agreements compulsory unionism applies, and where scheme 13 workers are employed by such local bodies they are bound by the statutory provisions of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act and must become members of the appropriate union

Further, the Department stipulates that scheme 13 workers shall be regarded as "voluntarily unemployed," and, consequently, not entitled to sustenance or employment on subsidised works if they lose their employment by reason of refusal to join the union. The secretary of the General Labourers' Union, Mr. P. M. Butler, said yesterday that if any of the subsidised workers claimed that paying their union contributions was a hardship, they could, by making application to the executive, have the matter fully dealt with, when full consideration would be given to such applications in a sympathetic manner.