Jugoslav Labour Report Denied

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31060, 16 May 1966, Page 1

Jugoslav Labour Report Denied

(New Zealand Press Association ►

WELLINGTON, May 15. The Secretary 7 for Labour (Mr H. L. Parsonage) today denied that the Government was negotiating to bring skilled Jugoslav workers to New Zealand for the Tongariro project.

He had been asked to comment on a report that a Jugoslav labour official had met Labour Department officials in Wellington to discuss bringing Jugoslav workmen t 0 New Zealand to work on tunnelling contracts which are the subject of a dispute over Italian labour. There had been no such discussion at Government or departmental level. Mr Parsonage said. The Government had no intention of making such a move. Mr M. Maravich, director of

employment for one of the main Jugoslav provinces, had recently made a private visit to New Zealand, and had called at the Labour Department’s head office for general discussion, Mr Parsonage said. The talks had covered the recent recruitment of about 60 workers for the Marsden Point power station contract and a proposal to recruit about 20 workers in Jugoslavia for the Manapouri job. The latter proposal, which I depended on workers not being available from Britain, had union approval.