Finding work

Press, 7 December 1978, Page 20

Finding work

Sir, —Recently my brother went to the Labour Department in Christchurch to seek vacational work. As a veterinary science student, he is obliged to obtain farm work as part of his course. The department had no such work available and sent him to apply for the dole. Upon my suggestion, a telephone call to the department in Dunedin earned him the re-

sponse that plenty of farm work was available in connection with the Southland flood relief, which is using a lot of student labour and could he come to Dunedin straight away for an interview to place him. He did this and is now working. I can understand and sympathise with the labour exchanges that they cannot place people in jobs that are out of their area of control, but surely the Christchurch exchange could have at least suggested trying their Dunedin equivalent or another exchange that could have been more helpful?—Yours, etc., (Miss) ERIDWYN HOBBS. November 25, 1978.

[Mr W. T. Holland, District Superintendent, of the Labour Department, replies: “It appears at the time Miss Hobbs’s brother registered with the Department of Labour for vacational work that no work was immediately available. He was not referred to Dunedin or any other centre as it was expected we would be able to find work for him without delay. The Dunedin flood relief scheme was not then fully operational and we were waiting for requests from Dunedin before referring students there. Although our employment service endeavours to meet the wishes of registrants, it is not always possible to place them in the work of their choice.”]