Nearly 140 reject plantation work

Press, 8 February 1985, Page 3

Nearly 140 reject plantation work

A total of 137 unemployed people in Christchurch have rejected work offered to them with the Selwyn Plantation Board, and face the possibility of being stood down from the unemployment benefit for up to six weeks. The first batch of 79 who had been unemployed for six months or more had their names referred to the Social Welfare Department in Christchurch last week and yesterday another 58 either did. not report for an interview when asked to do so or declined the job offer at the interview. An assistant district superintendent of the Labour Department, Mr Neil Buchanan, said that the department had been advised of another 70

vacancies for Project Employment Programme workers in the plantations. This was in addition to the 150 vacancies notified last month, when the department sent letters to 243 people who had beeen unemployed for more than six months but found only 105 who went on to take the jobs.

Mr Buchanan said that the department this time sent letters to 115 people who had been registered as unemployed for 13 to 16 weeks. Another eight unemployed people came forward voluntarily looking for work at the plantations. Between the time of sending the letters and the interviews yesterday the department talked to 13 who had been sent letters and these

were referred to other projects or schemes. That left 110 potential Selwyn recruits. But when it came to the interviews yesterday, 55 did not report and nine declined the jobs after hearing the conditions of employment. Mr Buchanan said that of the nine, four said that they had medical reasons for not wanting the work, two were referred to other schemes, and three were not interested. Forty-four accepted the work with the Selwyn Plantation Board.

The Social Welfare Department is not able to say how many of the original 79 have been stood down from the benefit. Not all of them will have been stood down because the department has to take each case on its merits, and generally does not stand down a married man with dependent children, because the hardship would affect the family.