M.P. asked to pay

Press, 27 August 1979, Page 2

M.P. asked to pay

PA Auckland The Auckland Carpenters’ Union has called on the Labour member of Parliament for Onehunga, Mr F. L. Rogers, to compensate personally the carpenters who lost their jobs when his Auckland and Kaitaia construction business went into liquidation. When the business closed 15 carpenters lost their jobs but received no redundancy! pay or pay in lieu of notice. In the union magazine the carpenters’ organiser. Mr A. O’Neill says the liquidator had refused to recognise redundancy pay as a preferential claim.

“This is not good enough — especially since Frank Rogers is a Labour M.P.,” says Mr O’Neill. “In my opinion he should pay the carpenters their four days in lieu of notice from his $lB,OOO-plus M.P.’s salary or one of his two farms he gwns up north.”

Mr Rogers said he did not think he was personally responsible for redundancy payments to the men. “It is a legal situation now — this is in the hands of the liquidator and it has got nothing to do with me,” Mr Rogers said. “I think Mr p’Neill is being a bit personal when he says I should pay, but I suppose that is his wav.”

The construction firm went out of business six months ago.