Unemployed get chance of work

Press, 23 August 1978, Page 1

Unemployed get chance of work

Aulsebrooks, Ltd, has given an assurance to the Labour Department in Christchurch that it will take on all suitable unemployed referred to its factory — even if it means laying off some of the schoolgirls and university students taken on this week.

The district superintendent of the Labour Department (Mr W. T. Holland) said yesterday that the department would refer people to the factory “constantly” from its list of unemployed. At the end of July there were 4476 registered unemployed in Christchurch.

The managing director of Aulsebrooks (Mr R. J Binning) said yesterday that there had been no departure from company philosophy — that if suitable people came to the factory and there were vacancies, they would be given jobs. Aulsebrooks, which took on 24 schoolgirls and university students this week, is not the only employer of school-holiday labour. But it was Aulsebrooks which came under fire from the Canterbury Trades Council.

Yesterday, however, the council’s secretary (Mr L. G. Morel) also criticised the employment of 26

schoolboys by the North Canterbury Nassella Tussock Board for the August holidays. The board's operation manager (Mr D. W. McLellan) said the board had always hired schoolboys, and was now employing ® men in grubbing gangs who would otherwise be unemployed. However, he admitted there were adults on the waiting list for jobs with the board.

Our industrial reporter comments that a person under 18 would get at least $24 a week more by working at Aulsebrooks than if getting the unemployment benefit, and a person over 20 would get at l eas t $52

mure. The minimum award weekly wage for a biscuit or confectionery worker in Christchurch is $98.83 gross for adults over 18 Workers aged 16, start from a minimum of 60 per cent of the adult rate.

The top wage under the award is $116.12 gross.

The minimum weekly wage for an adult tussock grubber is about $111; the schoolboys are earning about $99 gross, plus allowances and overtime.

The unemployment benefit for single persons over 20 is $46.37, and for single persons under 20, $35.30.

Unemployed who get temporary jobs do not have to stand down from their benefit afterwards. The director of benefits for the Social Welfare Department in Christchurch (Mr C. L. Waters) said yesterday that the unemployed person would be required to fill in a declaration of income for the period he had a temporary job. and would not get a benefit for that period When the job finished his benefit would resume without a stand-down period.

However, if somebody on a benefit was referred to a factory for work, and left of his own accord, he would face a six-week stand-down from the benefit.