SEASONAL WORKERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 3, 5 January 1938, Page 9

SEASONAL WORKERS.

RIGHT TO RELIEF.

NEW ASSESSMENT BASIS. A new scheme for estimating the eligibility of seasonal workers for relief has now been put into operation by the Department of Labour.

Discussing the new regulations this morning, Mr. A. T. Grandison, District Employment Officer, said that up to the present time shearers, freezing works employees and persons engaged in other occupations of a seasonal nature have been entitled to register for relief immediately the seasonal work has been completed, and provided they have not been off relief for over three months, relief is granted at once. If the period of private employment has exceeded three months, the maximum qualifying period is two weeks.

In view of the comparatively high earnings of men engaged in certain seasonal occupations, and the fact that men employed in such industries are aware that their employment will not be of a permanent nature, the Government, after carefully examining the position, has decided that, generally speaking, such workers should not require relief immediately following the termination of their seasonal employment.

In future, Mr. Graiulison said, seasonal workers who have been employed for 12 weeks or more will not qualify for relief benefit until their earnings over the past 12 weeks, including the stand-down period, are reduced to a figure which is approximately equal to, but not less than, 12 times a wa»e of £4 a week, that is. £48. Seasonal workers will be required, as a preliminary to relief, to declare their weekly earnings for the preceding 12 weeks ending on the Saturday immediately prior to the date of application. The applications and declarations are to be made through the nearest Employment Bureau, and no applications will be received until the applicant's employment has actually ended. The relief granted will be assessed on the same basis as an ordinary Scheme 5 or sustenance recipient.

However, where the duration of seasonal employment is for four weeks or less, workers will be eligible for relief upon registration on the same basis as other Scheme o or sustenance recipients.