WORK FOR ALIENS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 133, 7 June 1944, Page 7

WORK FOR ALIENS

MAN-POWER APPEAL CASE

The question of aliens in business has again been under the notice of the Wellington Industrial Man-power Committee, this time in the case of an appeal by the managing-director of a firm—a Hungarian by birth—against the man-power officer's decision in permitting a machinist to terminate her employment with the firm. While it was not its function to criticise aliens, said the chairman (Mr. J. J. Scott), the committee had stated that it did not approve of aliens leaving employment to sefrNjjv-in business on their own account. That, however, did not imply that workers employed by alien firms were justified in seeking release from such employment if it were essential.

It was stated during the hearing of the case that the employee had volunteered to go to another factory engaged in urgent war work. She considered that more civilian than military work was being done by the firm, and she objected to receiving instructions from a woman whom she considered knew nothing about the trade, while she had intimated previously that she objected to working for a foreign firm. The appellant regarded this employee as not only a highly-skilled machinist, but also an instructress. He claimed that 85 per cent, of his business was for the Armed Forces; he had missed opportunities of making greater profits by doing war work, but felt that he should do that work. He had fought in the last war, but was sorry it was not ;in the British lines.

Before intimating that the committee would reserve its decision, the chairman remarked that, in view of the bottleneck in the clothing trade so far as experienced machinists were concerned, the man-power officer .had been justified in his direction where it was a case of urgent war work being carried out.