GOVERNMENT TRANSPORT POLICY

Evening Star, Issue 22720, 6 August 1937, Page 12

GOVERNMENT TRANSPORT POLICY

POSITION OF EMPLOYEES _ The New Zealand Road Transport Alliance (Inc.) writes: Tho projected expropriation by the Government of many goods motor transport services is causing considerable concern and anxiety to workers engaged in the industry as to their future. Acting on the natural assumption that they had assured positions and reasonable chances of permanent employment, these workers have settled down, acquired homes, and made other financial commitments on the basis of their present positions and incomes.

Tho Minister of Transport has stated that “ The Government is desirous ojf seeing that no employee will suffer anything in tho way of hardship, and every effort will be made to continue the_ employment of those affected, or, failing that, to provide other work for them.” In his last official pronouncement on the transport question the Minister stated that the railway services can effectively deal with 90 per cent, of the business at present handled by goods motor services. This must inevitably mean that approximately 90 per cent, of the present staffs of the motor transport firms will lose their present jobs. It is inconceivable that tho requirements of the Railway Department, which at the present time is fully staffed, will absorb them all, or even a material proportion of them. Just how and where will these displaced employees he given other jobs, and what sort of jobs, and at what rates of wages? This is the critical question that the employees are looking to the Government to answer, and no ansiver is as yet forthcoming. At present these workers are engaged in work that demands high qualities of ability, initiative, and responsibility, and they are paid on a s calo commensurate with these qualities. Yet the only method so far indicated whereby the Government will redeem its promise to' find work for them is through the placement officers, and this position is definitely unsatisfactory. They will find that tho jobs available are not suitable to their training and experience, are relatively unskilled work, and carry a lower wage than they have been accustomed to receive. Many of them who have established homes and entered into financial commitments in regard to them commensurate with their present position will bo forced to migrate to other parts to get work. In all eases it is obvious that considerable delay must elapse before they are absorbed into other avenues of employment, during which time they will be out of work. Further, the unemployment position to-day must he aggravated by the addition of a number of workers whose present jobs are closed, down, and when they are placed it must be at tho expense of existing unemployed. Before the Government proceeds with its expropriation policy, it is up to the Minister to state exactly what he pioposes to do in the .way of finding specific work for the employees displaced, where such work is to be found, what sort of work it will be, and how it will compare in regard to wages rates with the jobs destroyed by the policy of tho Government.