RELIEF WORkS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 72, 26 March 1931, Page 15

RELIEF WORkS

TRADESMEN'S POSITION

UNION'S PROTEST

A protest against the employment of carpenters on relief works by municipalities and private employers at relief rates of pay is voiced by the Wellington City Branch of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, which passed the following resolution at its meeting last Tuesday:—

"That the practice of engaging carpenters and joiners through relief committees and getting them to work at their trades for relief rates must bo stopped, otherwise the union will consider the advisability of urging its members not to pay the unemployment levy'in future. Jobs where this is being done nt present are under tho Eastbourne Borough Council, where tho men are doing fencing and sen. wall boxing, and under tho Wellington City Council, where fencing is being done at Vogeltown. The City Council engineer for the district (Mr. Leader) had two carpenters working on the (ith and 7th March, including Saturday afternoon work, at relief rates, on work which comes under tho award.".

"This morning," said the secretary of the union (Mr. C. C. Baker), "a further complaint came in from tho Wellington East Girls' College that 'there were 33 four-day married men working there undor a relief scheme, including four carpenters and joiners. Mr. G. Mitel)ell, a member of the Board of Governors, gave instructions to the foreman to put two labourers out of the gang on to tho erection of boxing for a l-Gteuning wall. The carpenters on the job got into touch with the union, and the organising acting-secre-tary and Mr. P. Kinsman, secretary of the Unemployment Committee, visited the job and were told that tho job camo under the award. The throat had boon made by Mr. Mitchell that if thero was any trouble the whole job would be closed down, an action contrary to tho principles of the relief of unemployment. "The practice of employing tradesmen at their trade at relief rates has apparently been oxploited both by municipalities and private individuals, who engage carpenters and joiners through relief committees, a.nd when, the men arrive on the jobs, presumably for gardening, they are asked to work at their trade. In respect to the Wellington East Girls' College job, Mr. Kinsman is in touch with Mr. Malcolm Eraser. If tho work done by carpenters on these jobs is not done under award conditions, there is a likelihood of the men ceasing work."