No ‘think big’ for Chch

Press, 30 May 1983, Page 5

No ‘think big’ for Chch

Christchurch contracting firms had got absolutely no work from the Govern- • ment’s “think big” projects, said the executive officer of . the Canterbury Contractors’ ’ Federation, Mr E. H. Williams, on Friday. He was commenting on a statement in Wellington by the executive director of the Contractors’ Federation, Mr R. McKnight, that more than 1000 contracting workers throughout the country would have to be . laid off in the next three months. Apart from not getting

anything out of the “think big” policy, local contractors were also getting less work from local bodies, said Mr Williams. He estimated that manning levels of Christchurch contracting firms had fallen by about 50 per cent in the last four years. It was essential that local bodies give more work to contractors, he said. Otherwise, firms would be forced out of business, unemployment increased, and competitive pricing would suffer. Mr McKnight said that local authorities’ treatment

of Labour Department project employment schemes was having a serious effect on contractors. He asserted that some local authorities were not adhering to the Labour Department’s criteria for P.E.P. schemes. Local authorities provide the materials and the Labour Department pays the wages of a person employed on the six-month scheme. The Contractor’s Federation looks after the interests of 1200 individual companies and it is the smaller

to medium size companies which are most affected. A lot of the work which is being done by P.E.P. workers such as curbing, paving, paths and roading which would normally be done by contractors, Mr McKnight says. The federation made a telephone survey of contractors to check on potential redundancies. The results showed at least 1000 would be laid off within the next three months, not including workers who would normally be laid off during winter.