Unemployment

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31677, 13 May 1968, Page 12

Unemployment

Sir.—Your correspondent “A. B. Cedarian” is like the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand. As long ago as May, 1967, the 197 delegates to the annual conference of the Federation of Labour, representing 283*249 workers specifically authorised the national executive, and the national council, to file an application for a general wage order at an appropriate time and this was done by Mr Skinner (on the instructions of the national executive). The previous application was filed on July 13, 1966 and took six months to be finalised, so the workers can't hope for any improvement in their living standards before about July or August at the earliest. The average person doos not appreciate the sacrifices the workers made in '‘voluntarily” accepting the conditions “imposed” by the I.C. and A. Act. I could give plenty of examples of this but space precludes. 1 feel compelled to reply to your correspondent, who, while signing himself “A.8.C.,” certainly does not know the JA.B.C. of industrial legislation.—Yours, etc., S. G. ISHERWOOD. President, Canterbury Glass workers’ Union. May 11, 1968.

Sir,—What a pity about the poor freezing workers who are soon going to be out of a job! After all, in the last six months most of them have only earned more'than the rest of us could hope to earn in a year! It is a Strange thing, but every time they go on strike the innocent public are informed that the freezing workers are only trying to get an economic wage which will carry them through the leah wittier months. And what - about the poor shearers? Their season is just about over, too. All these poor unfortunates who have earned anything from $4OOO upwards in the last few months, all living on the dole! I always thought that that was why these people received such high rates—for the very reason that their jobs ,close down in the winter. Funny how so many of us have been so mistaken for so long, isn’t etc., HOUSEWIFE. May 9. 1968.