RELIEF WORKERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 146, 17 December 1937, Page 7

RELIEF WORKERS

HOLIDAYS AND BONUS:

DETAILS "ANNOUNCED

NUMEROUS CONCESSIONS

Details' of the arrangements ma'da for the granting-of-Christmas and New Year holidays and the payment of. a Christmas bonus to relief workers ara announced by the Minister of Labpur (the Hon.H. T, Armstrong). In a recent statement, the Minister gave particulars concerning both these subjects, but stated that at a later date' the conditions of eligibility for the bonus would be explained. Amplifying this latter point, Mr, Armstrong said that the bonus would be £2 for married men and £1 for single men payable to all. those men who actually received relief or wera engaged under ons.of tha undermen» tioned schemes in the weak ended' December 4, 1937: —

Scheme No. 5 workers employed on a rationed basis, i.e., less than 40 hours a week.

Men in receipt of sustenance without Work. '■ •■ :■'■ ' ''■' •'■:• ■• ." ■; ''■' .; .

Gold 'prospectors,'' including men em«: ployed on developmental' :work other! than those employed full-time C 49 hours per week or more), at.standard rates of pay.

Clerical workers employed in local body offices, relief depots, etc., whose total remuneration as such is not more than: £2 10s a week in the case of married men and 37s 6d a week ia the case of single men. 4A workers on own farms (exclud* ing orchardists. in receipt of .frost damp age .relief);-. ;i' '. ■': %.;- :'; :■■ -'"; Men receiving. sustenance' allowanoeJ. under .the/Small; Farm .Han, .. ~,: ,' ■ Men employed- on the. special .full* time works' arranged, 'through ' local bodies» ■- : ■■ .- '■ ■. .-.■■■■■■■ ■■' ■.■ ; • > •;;; : EUGraiiiiTr. ;'; / All men who actually received relief assistance under one of,the above-men" tioned schemes in the week ended December 4, 1937, are entitled to receive the bonus. The bonus is still • paj^abla although the worker did not continue, to receive relief after the week ended December, 4. ■ ~..;'i , ;:.-. .. '; •' : Any person who •• registered'- and il3ecame eligible;tfor reliefs;.ior the "first time, after the week ended .December 4 is not-eligible to receive-the bonus.; Any person who re-registers and..be? comes "eligible for relief in any of; th« weeks ending December ,11, 1S; ; ana ?5, is eligible''to'receive the bonus .if-na had.actaally been in receipt of relief under of the above-mentioned schemes at any time'within a periofl of three -months of December- 4;; 1937 (namely.between,September.s and December 4, 1937). '. -'" :': . : : In addition'to the; Christmas bonus, the Government ih'as ■■/decided that all workers employed -on-.the .undermentioned schemes are'to. be,'granted two weeks' paid holiday"for,the weeks ending ' January,^ 1 and1 January 8, '1938: (a) Scheme 5' workers • employed on a rationed basis, i.e.', less" thanL4o hour a per week; (2) gold, prospectors employed under Scheme 15, including those on developmental work except where they are employed ior full time at standard-rates of'pay;- (c). workers employedl in'clerical "and otKer capacities in local body■ cSlccs, relief-depots, etc. .",'■'■ ! ■-■"■''

CLOSING OP SCHEME 5 WORKS. All Scheme's'■work's will ,be closed down on Wednesday, December 22, and will reopen on Monday, January, 10. Any men who would normally be required to report for Scheme 5 work on Thursday or Friday; December 23 and 24, will be paid in advance for these days as if they had .worked. Payment for ■ the holiday weeks ,will ba made to Scheme '5 workers,' gold' prospectors,; etc.; prior'to Christmas.,. For,those ,on sustenance, payment of the allocations due for the weeks ending December 25, January 1, and January 8 -will be made before' Christmas. In addition, it has been- decided-that no. declarations-of. (earnings ;will be required from "■'sustenance; recipients. inrespect ofttie;Weeks enjdinfe; December' 25 and January I,' arid; any private earnings which, the men .may be:able to.earn in,either 'of these two weeks will be entirely ignored when assessing their future allocations; "Earnings in the -week ending January 8 'will' be taken into account in the; usual manner when assessing the sustenance allocations for the weekending January 15. A somewhat similar concession has been' arranged in respect of Scheme 5 workers in that, when the allocations due to them for the -&eeks ending January 1 and 8 are being computed, any prior .earnings by way .of salary or wages which would ordinarily have been taken into account will be ignored, and the men will be granted their full allocation less-any adjustment that, may "be necessary..' on ' ac-' count of capital assets ■or regular income. This-will -place the-Scheme 5 workers on. .somewhat .similar basis to. sustenance recipients in ; regard to pay ment for the holiday weeks.

FULL-TIME WORKS. Arrangements have been. made for the special full-time rotational' works to be closed down for the weeks ending January 1 and' 8, arid the men employed on these works will be granted the Christmas bonus and. will be paid' sustenance for each of the abovementioned weeks. If, in any case, the awards or industrial agreements governing the employment of men on these special full-time works provide for more liberal concessions over the Christmas period by way of holiday payments than the men are receiving by way of sustenance and Christmas bonus, on application to the Department arrangements will be made to make up any difference by the workers concerned.

Workers employed-on the ragwort eradication scheme will be treated in the same manner as regards Christmas bonus and holiday concessions as those workers employed on ,the. special fulltime rotational works.

Provided they are otherwise eligible, it has also •' been decided to treat as eligible for. the Christmas bonus and the two weeks' holiday pay those workers who have been recruited from the.register of unemployed within the two months prior to Christmas for employment on Government works, and who by reason of their not having completed two months' continuous service will not qualify to receive any holiday pay under the terms of the agreement governing their > employment. -■~■•.■'

Similar transport concessions as applied last year will again be granted to those men employed under the Department's gold prospecting Scheme No. 15. ■

Following the usual practice of visit* ing Christchurch every alternate yeaf to compete in the annual boat race, members of the AVanganjii Collegiate School crew left Wanganui yesterday, states "The Post's" representative. This crew chosen comprised B. H, T. Holm* den (str), W. P. Hyslop (3), G. L, Jones (2), R. G. Bannister (bow), an< T. W. Blennerhassett-;(tox)r-