Workers laid off

Press, 21 July 1978, Page 1

Workers laid off

PA Wellington One hundred and fifty freezing workers crammed into the tiny offices of the Labour Department in Lower Hutt yesterday to register as unemployed. They were the last in a series of lay-offs from the Gear meatworks. The men organised the rally to draw attention to the Plight of the freezing worker, who is laid-off at the end of every season, and also to the m<”-p een-

eral problems of unemployment. Staff at the Labour Department office cleared the crowd within half an hour. The workers filled in forms and were told to come back next week for interviews and job placement. The assistant District Of» ficer at the office, Mr J. Ainge, said the department would probably be able to find jobs for “quite a number” of the men. In Christchurch, 60 meat workers in the beef house at the Islington freezing

works will be laid off today for about six weeks under an agreement with the Meat Workers’ Union. The assistant general manager of Waitaki N.Z. Refrigerating. Ltd (Mr J. M. Ryan) said that the closing of the beef house was partly for economv and partly to allow maintenance to be done before the bobby calf season about the end of next month. The workers will take three weeks holiday during the break.