Committee To Help The Insecure

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31922, 25 February 1969, Page 28

Committee To Help The Insecure

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 24. A committee has been set up in Auckland to help those whose employment insecurity arises from causes such as lack of education or training, or loss of morale or confidence,.the Minister of Labour (Mr Shand) announced today.

Mr Shand said in a statement that the committee would be known as the Auckland Advisory Committee on. Training and Employment. It would comprise Mr K. G. Fraser, representing the Auckland Employers’ Association; Mr T. E. Skinner, president of the Federation of Labour; Mr A. Russ, Auckland Trades Council; Mr F. D. Walls, Auckland Disabled Persons’ placement board; Miss M. A. O’Connor, Vocational Guidance Service; Mr F. H. Downes, Social Security Department; and Mr N. Pelvin, Labour Department, who would serve as chairman. Mr Shand said the committee would not deal with specially handicapped people requiring more specialist assistance by way of rehabilitation.

The committee would deal only with people who voluntarily indicated they would welcome its assistance. “Their social security .rights will not be affected because they seek the committee’s help,' but it may take a person off ■ the unemployment benefit and place him on a retraining allowance at a rate certainly no less favourable than the benefit,” he said. The committee would consider individual cases referred to it by the Labour Department and try to pinpoint what each worker needed to improve his employment experience. The purpose of such interviews would be to find out how a worker could be helped.