73 customs jobs to go

Press, 2 September 1986, Page 8

73 customs jobs to go

PA Wellington The Customs Department will shed 73 jobs immediately and up to 200 more over the next five years. The department took on 164 staff, mainly schoolleavers, late last year but now, after nine months’ training, it wants 73 of them to resign. Most are aged between 17 and 19.

Trainees were told to consider resigning at meetings in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland last week. Their responses are expected to be collated later this week.

Fortunately for the young trainees, there are jobs awaiting them in the Inland Revenue Depart-

ment on similar conditions and pay if they want them. All 73 can be absorbed. The redundancies result from a cut of $2 million in the customs budget this year and a number of important changes in the department’s functions. The Comptroller of Customs, Mr John Belgrave, said yesterday that there had been some major changes because of Government policy and funding.

In addition, the department had recruited large numbers last year compared with the low level over the previous two years.

Mr Belgrave said cus-

toms had produced a fiveyear plan under which another 200 positions were identified as becoming surplus over the next five years. The positions would be affected because of the

scrapping of import licensing, sales tax from October 1, changes in the excise regime from the same date, and the removal of certain duties. This would affect a range of the department’s work.