OBLIGATIONS ON ALL INDIVIDUALS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 126, 23 February 1944, Page 4

OBLIGATIONS ON ALL INDIVIDUALS

Manpower Organization CONTROL OF MOVEMENT OF LABOUR

Persistent failure by a considerable number of people to make themselves sufficiently familiar with their manpower obligations was referred to by the Controller of Manpower, Mr. H. L. Boekett, in an interview yesterday. The department, lie said, had prosecuted only in those' eases where failure to meet such obligations was deliberate or without any reasonable excuse. Nevertheless, some 650 prosecutions had had to be taken, mainly against persons failing to register for work, failing to comply with the directions of a manpower officer, leaving essential work without the written consent of a manpower officer, failing to secure consent to the engagement of labour, or employing persons who had no manpower clearance from their previous jobs. .. , „ ~ ~ “There are still, people,” said Mr. Boekett, “who consider that because they are not’ in a registered class they have no obligations whatsoever. This is quite wrong. In the first place every person, without exception, may be placed under direction by a manpower officer whether registered or not. Every person working is an essential industry, irrespective of age, is subject to all the conditions governing essential industries, including consent to leave.

“Even children of 15 and pe.ople of 80, if they are working in essential industries, must apply for and obtain consent before they leave, though in such cases, of course, personal welfare and age would be the deciding factors. These are obligations on every individual, irrespective of age or sex. “In the same way, there are still employers who apparently do not understand their obligations. Every employer whose undertaking is not declared essential, must secure the written consent of the manpower officer before tie engages any labour, irrespective of the age or sex ol the person to be engaged. This applies to practically all employers whose undertakings are not declared essential, except farmers: such employers must also notify all terminations of employment. I would particularly stress this. In essential undertakings the employer is required to notify all engagements of labour, unless those engagements have been made directly through the manpower officer.

“Every employer engaging labour, whether declared essential or not, must, moreover, check up on two points; he must make sure that the person, if in a registered class.- has in fact registered for work of national importance, and he must take ftasonable steps to satisfy himself that the person is not a manpower defaulter —a person who has left an essential undertaking without consent or who has failed to comply with a direction order. In short, the manpower officer must be informed of every movement of labour except in respect of farming and the waterfront.

“A considerable proportion of prosecutions to date have had to be taken against employers for offences of these, types. The employer must meet his obligations just the same as the worker. In fact, I would expect the employer to set a lead to his workers in every mailer connected with the efficient control of wartime manpower organization, not only in compliance with his formal obligations, but in the matter of example on such points as absence from work for other than business reasons.”