Racism keeping some out of shop jobs—claim

Press, 8 May 1986, Page 16

Racism keeping some out of shop jobs—claim

PA Hamilton Racism in Waikato towns was keeping young Maori people out of shop jobs, the Shop Employees’ Union Waikato organiser, Mr Lance Wardlaw, has asserted. He said retailers who employed Maoris tended to keep them in back rooms away from customers.

“There is this feeling among some retailers that if you have a Maori shop assistant white people won’t come in and buy the goods. That is quite clear in these small towns.”

Mr Wardlaw listed Morrinsville, Matamata, Putaruru, and Huntly as towns with proportionately low numbers of

Maori shop workers. Te Aroha had none, he said. Over all, Maoris made up 3 to 4 per cent of the shop assistants, in spite of the fact they made up 9 per cent of the population. “It is not only small towns either — there must be at least 300 shop workers in Victoria Street, but by my count there are only six Maori shop workers.” He said areas with a high Maori population — such as Ngaruawahia and Rotorua city — had a higher proportion of Maori shop workers.

Maoris were deliberately to the fore in Rotorua because of the tourism industry, Mr Wardlaw said.

Maori women — especi-

ally those who were “well refined” — found it easier to get jobs than men. Supermarkets, fish shops and bakeries had a better record than most retailers in employing Maori people, but these still tended to be in backroom jobs, Mr Wardlaw said. He said racist attitudes that white people wanted to be served by white shop assistants did exist in the small Waikato towns. Mr Wardlaw said .the high incidence of Maori crime and unemployment made employers reticent about employing Maoris.

But all Maoris should not be tarred with that image, he said. It was up to Maori job-seekers to sell themselves to em-

ployers better. “The other major problem is that young Maori people especially, often don’t have the confidence to apply for these jobs. It is no use turning up for an interview looking rough and then crying racism when they don’t get the job.”

The president of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Retailers’ Federation, Mr Peter Jerrat, said the lack ? of Maori shop assistants was because they tended •> to have lower qualifies- -* tions.

“It is unfortunate that ■. they tend to be a lower ’ calibre of applicant,” he said. “I think there is no - deliberate racism, but just > that there are better qualified people.”