WORK AND WAGES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 20, 24 January 1936, Page 3

WORK AND WAGES.

MANGERE AIRPORT MEN. METHOD OF PAYMENT CRITICISED. On behalf of the members of the Mangere airport branch of the Auckland Provincial Unemployed Workers' Association, the job secretary, Mr. S. Dixon, writes:—• I have been instructed by P.W.D. men engaged on works at the airport to ask you to grant space to clear up any possible misunderstanding with regard to Friday's incident. Your report suggests that the occurrence was intended as a strike, whereas the men merely held a stop-work meeting for the purpose of hearing the reports of delegates who had been to Wellington on their behalf. The conditions on the job, especially in 1 egard to the Department's antiquated method of payment, are most unsatisfactory to the men and cause a great deal of inconvenience and in many cases actual hardship. It is. appreciated, however, that the present Government can- ' not be blamed for a policy that was laid down a couple of generations ago, a policy that may have worked well- when industrial conditions and domestic finances were healthy, but to-day when the men employed are living from hand-to-month, after having been unemployed for anything up to five years, the system of expecting men to wait from two to four weeks for their money is absurd. A few weeks of employment is not, as the Department seems to think, sufficient to put those men on their feet; they are starting a long way behind scratch and many months of regular work with an assured we.ekly income (paid weekly) will be required before their position can very materially improve. This question of payment is the chief cause of dissatisfaction and even the new, temporary arrangement of making weekly payments equal to sustenance or relief wages is not sufficient to allow men to live in a manner that will keep them fit for hard work. The men feel that since it has been demonstrated that weekly payments can be made a payment based on 12/ per day should be made each week and that, should the men have earned a bonus when the monthly measure-up takes place, the little extra payment at the end of the month would be greatly appreciated. If, on the other hand, the Department considers that certain men have not earned their money—a matter easily ascertained by the measure-up—the Department has the same privilege as any other employer of labour. Current domestic accounts and five years of growing debts do not warrant these men lending a Government Department • money for any longer period than a week. However, as I have inferred, the men believe that they will receive fair treatment from the present Government and do not desire to embarrass it in any way. They only ask that it bo remembered that thev must live to-day if they are to appreciate the 'benefits of tomorrow.