Unemployed will meet again

Press, 27 January 1978, Page 1

Unemployed will meet again

About 30 unemployed men and women, most of them under 25, attended the inaugural meeting of the unemployed in Christchurch yesterday. They were almost outnumbered by trade-union officials, reporters and television cameramen, activists, and community welfare workers. Several of the unemployed alleged that employers had discriminated against them. Others expressed doubt about the usefulness of "another committee.”

“I came here to look for a job. I have joined committees before but they have done no good,” said one youth. Another accused the organisers of "just discussing political rubbish.”

“The real question is how we are going to live,” he said, departing soon after with his two friends. However, 15 unemployed persons volunteered’ to meet again to elect an interim committee to form an organisation of the unemployed. Similar organisations were formed in the 1930 s and in 1967-68.

The president of the Canterbury Trades Council (Mr W. R. Cameron) told the meeting that it was easier to get the unemployed to a meeting in 1967 because at that time the unemployed had to report to the Labour Department once a week and were therefore easv to reach.

However, the numbers at yesterday’s meeting showed that there was a

lot of concern about unemployment, he said. “As a trade unionist and as a human being it is a sad occasion for tne to have to call this meeting today,” said Mr Cameron. “The administrators of our society should be ashamed that the need for such a meeting should arise,” he said. He blamed the Government’s policies for the level of unemployment, the highest since the 19305.

The present Government was ready to dampen down the economy, resulting in unemployment, but it was still not prepared to control its “friends,” who were still allowed to have high profits, he said. The danger of excessive unemployment was that it affected’ the rest of the working people, who were frightened to demand better wages and conditions because there was someone else outside the gate waiting to take their place, said Mr Cameron.

A number of measures could be taken to alleviate the problems faced by the unemployed, but the real answer was to impress upon the Government — or, if it was not prepared to listen, to change the Government — to stick to the principle of full employment. The secretary of the Canterbury Trades Council (Mr L. G. Morel) resisted attempts by some to form a committee at the meeting.

“People in previous years have wished to take over the organisation and use it as a political vehicle. We will not allow this to happen again,” he said.

The Government has approved another $500,000 for the student community service programme, the Minister of Recreation and Sport (Mr Highet) announced yesterday, reports the Press Association. “The programme has met with wide support throughout the country,” Mr Highet said. “It has enabled more than 2500 students to be employed on worth-while community projects.” By the middle of Janu-

ary, 733 applications had been received, more than 90 per cent had been approved and more than SIM had been spent, Mr Highet said. This was not the full cost of the scheme as the labour component of many of the projects was being met from the Labour Department’s special work scheme, he said. The number of applications was now tapering off and the scheme would end on February 28.