AIRPORT WORKS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 114, 10 November 1934, Page 13

AIRPORT WORKS

CO-OPERATIVE CONTRACTS

THE WAGES ASPECT

The following statement on behalf of the Wellington members of the National Union of Unemployed regarding the Government scheme for the establishment of airports is. made by Mr. D. McLaughlin, national secretary of the N.U.U..— ,-

' The Minister of Defence (tho Hon. J. G. Cobbe)', in his statement to "The Post," begins by emphasising the Government's belief in the importance of airports for purposes of tho New Zealand Air Force and for civil air transport needs of the future. He then proceeds to labour at great length the alleged virtues of the conditions of labour under the Public Works Department's" theory of "co-operative contract;" which is not co-operative at all so far as the unemployed are- concerned, but a system of piecework forced . willy:niliy upon the relief workers who are drafted on to the works where this system is enforced. The history of the forced application of this system by the Public Works Department since unemployed labour has been used by the 7 Government to cairy out "impoitant works" is a tale of a continuous -fight by the men for. decent rates of pay. Only recently there was a lengthy dispute at Hobsonvillo Air Base, Auckland, during which some 140 married men, after a fair two «wd thiee weeks' trial of the "co-operativt> contract" rates of pay, found it impossible to earn more than 7s to 8s per day, and'this after a promise had been given that 10s per day would bo the basis of the rates; A committee of responsible citizens investigated the conditions, and unanimously agreed with the men (who refused to continue to man tho job until the rates weie increased) that 10s per day could not possibly be .'.'.earned. A fortnight's starvation was the fate of', these -men and their families before the Government decided to move in.the desired direction. "GLOWING ARRAY OF FIGURES." After a glowing array of figures I which are designed to convince us that the men ■ will be able to earn much more than No. 5- scheme rates of 10s per day, tho Minister betrays the true possibilities in the following paragraph:—"While tho Government is i anxious'to assist local authorities with tho establishment of aerodromes, financial .considerations will not permit of helping other than by the provision of I surplus unemployed labour," etc. As ' there is no1, other provision for wages than the amount paid by the Unem- | ployment Board, which has as its i maximum 10s per day, and is not averse :to piecework conditions causing less to bo paid to the men, the prospects of wage earners in the aggregate can rise no higher. TJ'he Defence Department) which, in conjunction with local authorities and civil interests, is vitally interested in the scheme, is not to be asked to provide one penny to the men's wages. This is manifestly unjust "and I inequitable. The'Governmeat, by; force of Public- Works Department discipline, engages to force the men. to work for as little as possible. If the work is "important" it is necessary,and necesi sary work should be paid for willingly at standard' rates. Tho rate should be a fiat time wage, engineers and foremen being charged'with the duty of ensuring that each' worker gives full I valuje for his * wages, asf City Council I engineers and foremen on. standard day wage city works are f at present doing I as efficiently as they have always ,donej

Under the so-called " co-operative; contract" system of the Public Works Department, engineers and foremen have degenerated into mere measurers of cubic yaids and mathematical jugglers of complex wage rates, tho result of which,is an irritating discord which never yet has produced good workmon, and causes, engineers to be forced to defend a political policy daily, when their whole attention 'should gfven to civil' engineering for which alono they possess certificated qualifications.