‘Skilled workers leaving’

Press, 23 September 1980, Page 21

‘Skilled workers leaving’

Skilled workers in the Housing Corporation were starting to look for jobs in Australia, said the Labour Party’s shadow Minister of Housing, Mr M. K. Moore. Mr Moore said that the Government had said it wanted to reduce the corporation’s staff by 75 per cent. This would mean that up to 20 skilled staff in Christchurch would lose their jobs in the next three years, as the Government phased out most of the work of the corporation. The Public Service Association had said it would try to avoid redundancies but some of the workers had told him that staff had begun to look for work in Australia because they did not believe they would be found similar work in the Public Service in New Zealand, Mr Moore said. The State had played an important role in the housing field in the past and should Continue to do so. The running down of the corporation was another step in rolling back the principles of . a caring . society. ’ j - ; - By handing over housing to the private sector « the .Government; would. put more and more people out of reach of owning their own home, because they would have to compete for home finance on the open market, Mr Moore said.