T.A.B. automation threatens jobs

Press, 30 May 1987, Page 31

T.A.B. automation threatens jobs

PA Wellington Automation of T.A.B. betting outlets has made hundreds of workers redundant, says a union organiser, Mr Gordon Webley. Because of T.A.B. moves, the pool of 2000 casual workers is being handed to the discretion of agents under contract to the T.A.B. The board's assistant general manager, Mr John Maher, said most casual workers were al-, ways employed In agencies. The plan in the next two years was to convert 15 branches to agencies. “We have 250 agencies throughout New Zealand,’’ he said. “Agencies converted from branches will continue to provide the same selling services.” Nationally, 11 permanent staff would be made redundant.

"We have made every effort to redeploy permanent staff, in some cases waiting for the manager of a branch to retire before it becomes an agency,” Mr Maher said.

In 1974, the T.A.B. began a programme to automate betting offices, and today all offices are online. This means the central collating function of branches has disappeared. Mr Webley said that because of automation there were two big waves of redundancies among casual workers. In the second wave, the Clerical Workers’ Union stopped counting after 285. He said the third wave was now under way. There was nothing to stop agents getting rid of casual staff and he felt the T.A.B. should show greater responsibility for them.