WORK ON WHARVES

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 283, 26 August 1944, Page 6

WORK ON WHARVES

Pay Received By Soldiers Resentment at what he described as “a statement by responsible members of the Government, which has misled the public about the rate of payment made to troops who were recently required to load ammunition into a ship at Wellington after waterside workers had refused to handle it unless they were paid an additional 2/- an hour,” was expressed last night by a spokesman for several of the troops concerned. It had been stated, he said, that the troops received tlie usual rates of pay, which, to the public, meant the rates usually paid to waterside workers. Ibat was incorrect. Id fact, the troops, after doing eight hours’ training, were brought to the wharf, and received 6<l. an hour for the first eight hours there, and 2/6 an hour after that. To earn 11/6 the soldiers had to work 11 hours. “We would have been happy to load the ship for nothing—in fact, we did not expect anything.” he said. It «s urgent army material for our fightin„ forces overseas. But we do resent a misleading statement about the rates at which we were paid.”