Shearer Shortage In S.I. Forecast

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30738, 30 April 1965, Page 1

Shearer Shortage In S.I. Forecast

A survey of most of the 42 shearing districts of the South Island gave strong indications that there would be a shortage of about 200 shearers in the coming season, said the president of the New Zealand Workers’ Union (Mr W. A. Dempster) yesterday.

The survey was carried out by the union’s three South Island organisers over the last two months.

Mr Dempster attributed the expected shortage to a lack of learners. Giving reasons for this lack, he said that continuity of employment and other fringe benefits were being offered by competing industries to attract labour, and the work was arduous and irregular. Normally about 200 shearers left the industry each year because of ill health, retirement, or movement to other jobs, he said. In other years, this loss had been offset by newcomers, particularly from Australia, and an overflow from jobs such as those in freezing works.

This replacement did not seem to be coming this year, said Mr Dempster.

Resignations from the union were coming in at a far greater rate than in other year. For example, he said, five resignations reached him yesterday from shearers of long experience. Shearers like these were securing work elsewhere.

Asked whether the trend concerned him, Mr Dempster said: “Yes, naturally; we are losing union membership, and the loss of these men must be of concern to farmers.”

Mr Dempster said that if this labour force was allowed to dwindle too far it would be very hard to restore the position.

Much of the evidence of the decline, said Mr Dempster, had come from information obtained at meetings of members of some districts and at a meeting of union representatives from all South Island districts.