Vietnamese loses job

Press, 6 September 1980, Page 22

Vietnamese loses job

A Vietnamese woman working temporarily for the Christchurch Polytechnic has lost her job because of the Labour Department’s 12month rule. But the community services committee of the Christchurch City Council believes that the Minister of Labour (Mr Bolger) should waive the rule for her. Miss Sao Trinh came to New Zealand 10 years ago as a Colombo Plan student, gained a bachelor of engineering degree from Auckland University and has since be-

come a New Zealand citizen. The committee recommended that the council intervene when it heard that Miss Trinh had lost her job a week ago. It heard that the Polytechnic wanted to keep her but that it could not afford to pay her salary without the Labour Department subsidy. The department ceases subsidies under the temporary work scheme after a temporary worker has been employed for 12 months. Under the old scheme some temporary workers,

especially in Government departments, were engaged as temporary workers for more than two years. Miss Trinh said that she was working for the Polytechnic voluntarily because she felt she was needed. She liaises with Vietnamese refugees, the Polytechnic, high schools, sponsors and the Inter-Church Commission on Immigration and other bodies and helps counsel thei refugees. She is studying in her spare time to improve het: knowledge of social work. Miss Trinh is living off her savings.