Lay-offs now 'serious'

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33804, 29 March 1975, Page 9

Lay-offs now 'serious'

j (N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON. Redundancy, particularly in the textile industry, was now a( serious problem, the j president of the Federa-I tion of Labour (Mr T. E.i Skinner) said. The federation had advised ( affilaites that they should con-: tinue efforts to get redun-1 dancy agreements and not I wait for any legislation, he' [said. ( ! It appeared as if employers I I were using the fact that the( (Government was going to! .legislate, as requested unani-j (mously by the Industrial Re-1 ilations Council, to get out of' I redundancy agreements. ‘ln the meantime workers; i are becoming redundant day ! by day,” Mr Skinner said. ( “Furthermore employers > are adopting the attitude of advising unions that can’t do' (anything because the mar*"-

is a national question.” i Textile factories were particularly hard hit; smaller,' factories were simply clos- - ing their doors, he said. Many were staffed by mar- { I ried women. Employers ' (thought that because a'■ (woman was married they (could employ her or dismiss ' (her at will and she would not ( suffer any hardship. “But that is a lot of non(sense,” Mr Skinner said. I The problems facing the! (textile industry had been ■ brought about by some of the i [imports from overseas which [had to be tightened up, he (said. i “We should be concerned (with keeping our folk employed, not spending money on other things,” Mr Skinner I said.