Territorial soldiers fear job losses

Press, 8 March 1988, Page 4

Territorial soldiers fear job losses

DAVE WILSON

The Army .says increasing numbers of South Island Territorial soldiers ; are missing their annual training camps for fear of losing their jobs.

About 100 members ofj the 2 Canterbury, Nelson,; Marlborough, West Coast unit did not attend the recent annual camp on the West Coast. , i

Other Territorial Force summer camps reported similar absences, and the Army says employer resistance is preventing many part-time soldiers from attending their exercises. j Lieutenant-Colonel Ross Milne, commanding officer of 2 Cant, says there is genuine unease among many soldiers that they will lose their jobs if they go to annual

camp. “They are frightened of losing their jobs and this attitude is coming through more than in the past. It is a sign of the economic conditions that some employers find it more difficult to give their staff time off to attend camp.” The Army is to launch a national publicity campaign in May to improve the i Territorial Force image, part of a strategy to establish employer support groups in local communities. Tolonel Milne says there are always absences at annual camps but in the past they have tended to be for more localised reasons.

"In the Nelson-Marl-borough area, for example, we have had problems with annual camps

clashing with harvest time. But now we are finding that economic conditions are causing absences.”

At the February annual camp 11 members of the West Coast company were unable to attend and Colonel Milne says all 11 feared for their jobs.

“Some of these people are employed by small companies with a handful of staff. Two members of the unit are employed by the same firm.

“In South Canterbury we are finding some employers there digging in their toes about releasing their people to attend camp.” In spite of these problems the Territorial Force has few problems recruiting new soldiers, he says.