SUBSIDISED WORK

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 67, 20 March 1931, Page 8

SUBSIDISED WORK

ALLEGED BREACH OF AWARD

OPERATIONS STOPPED

In a statement to-day, Mr. P. M. Butler, secretary of the General Labourers' Union, said that the work at present being done at the Campanile site, in Buckle street, under the Unemployment Board's No. 5 scheme, was an ipon and flagrant breach of the General Labourers' award. Mr. Butler said that in his opinion if the Unemployment Board paid any money in subsidy to this job it would be highly improper, as the job could not by any stretch of tho imagination be classed under the No. a scheme. ~

Ho pointed out that a portion of the excavations now in hand had been included in the contract for the erection of the Campanile, but he had been advised that interested people had approached the successful contractor and offered to do the excavation work, proriding the cost, of the work was rebated from the contract price.

As far as he could understand, an agreement to this effect had been made between the, contractor and the trustees of tlio National Art Gallery, and consequently the supervision of the excavation work had boon handed over to the City Council. This done, the City Council placed relief -workers on the job at 14s per day (two days single men, three and four days married men), and applied for the Unemployment Board's subsidy. Thus, the trustees of tlu National Art Gallery were having the work done free of cost, and the workers were deprived of a portion of their proper earnings. It -will be seen that the City Council entered into the matter in order that it as a local body could qualify for the subsidy, but as the City Council had not a direct interest in the work (which was being supervised by a clerk of works appointed by the trustees and by the architects), and the only body receiving any benefit being the Board of Trustees, the action of the City Council was misleading to tlio Unemployment Board, and consequently the subsidy should not be paid. ONE PENNY PER HOUR. The General Labourers' Union had taken the matter up with the local Unemployment Committee, and Mr. Butler had personally interviewed the Minister of Labour (Mr. S. G. Smith), with the result that an extra penny per hour was being paid to the workers, this penny being paid by the Board of Trustees of the National Art Gallery; this penny per hour wag the only wages paid by that body. All other conditions of the award were being disregarded.

Mr. Butler said that had the original contract between the Board of Trustees and the builders (Messrs. Graham) not been interfered with, by persons seeking to get cheap labour and ifree money, the men would have been employed in tho ordinary way, and no injustice done to the labourers. As it was at- present, all kinds of men were employed, including tradesmen at 14s, and genuine labourers were unemployed. Mr. Butler said that a' thorough investigation of the whole matter was necessary in order to clear up the misunderstandings whieli had arisen, and that the Board of Trustees of the National Art Gallery should make its position clear in connection with the claim for and application of the £4000 subsidy.