XMAS BONUS

Grey River Argus, 2 December 1938, Page 7

XMAS BONUS

AGAIN TO BE PAID , To Persons on Relief [Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, December 1. The arrangements authorised in connection with granting Christmas andi New Year holidays and payment of Christmas bonus to relief recipients, have been announced by the Minister of Labour (Mr Armstrong). He said the bonus would be £2 for married men, and £1 for single'men, payable to all those men who actually receive relief, or are engaged under one of the underhoentioned schemes in the week ended December 3, 1938:— I'. - ’ " ’ (a). Scheme No. 5 workers- employed on rationed basis, i.e., less than forty hours a week; (b) men in receipt of sustenance and sickness allowances; (c) gold prospectors ineluding r.<i and youths employed on development work other than those employed full time (40 hours week or more) at standard rates of pay; (d) 4A workers on own farms; (e) men receiving . sustenance allowances under the . small fram scherfie. '

Note: The bonus for youths employed on gold prospecting scheme will be fifteen shillings. All men who actually receive relief assistance (including sick pay or compensation) under one of the abovementioned schemes in the week ending December 3, are entitled to receive the monus. This will include those sustenance recipients ‘ .who, in ordinary circumstances, would qualify but who on account of excess earnings in'the previous week do not actually, receive any. relief. in the week ended December 3. The bonus,is still payable although the'worker may not have continued to receive rblief after the, week ended December 3. ' , . . Any' person who registers and . becomes^,eligible for relief for the first time after the week ending December 3 is not. eligible to receive the bonus. Any person who re-registers and .becomes eligible, for relief in any.ef the weeks ending tenth, seventeenth and twenty-fourth December, is eligible to receive the, bonus if he had actually been, in receipt [of relief under one of the above-mentioned schemes at any time within., the period of. three months of December 3. .... .. . ■ •?. . J

In addition to the Christmas bonus, the Government has decided that all workers employed in the undermentioned schemes will be granted two weeks’ paid holiday in respect of the weeks Ending December 21, January 7: (a). Scheme Number Five, workers employed on «rationed basis; (b) Gold prospectors employed under Scheme Fifteen, including those on developmental work, except where they are employed full-time at standard rates of pay; (c) workers employed in- clerical, and other capacities in local body relief depots, etc. , ■ - ■ . .. . .

The Minister, said it had been decided that no. declarations, of earnings would be required from, sustenance recipients, in respect of the weeks ending December . 24 or 31,- and any private earnings in either of these two weeks would be- entirely ignored, when- assessing their future allocations. A somewhat similar concession had been arranged in, respect to Scheme No. 2 workers.

In regard-to those full-time subsidised standard works, where the Department provides full wage subsidy, the works to be closed down for the weeks ending December 31 and January 7, the men will be paid the holiday pay . they are entitled to receive under the governing awards or agreements based on their service up -to December 31., If in any such case, the awards or agreements provide • for lower payments over the Christmas period, by way of holiday payments, than the men would receive by way of full sustenance, according to their conjugal classification for the two weeks, arrangements will be made to make up the difference to the workers concerned.

Workers employed full time at standard rates on the gold prospecting scheme and men employed under the control of County Councils on the ragwort eradication scheme, will be treated in the same manner as regards holiday concession, as the workers employed on full-time standard works, where the Department provides full wage subsidy. ” Arrangements are also made in respect of men employed by individual farmers’ on eradication of ragwort, workers employed full time on subsidised standard works where the Department’s subsidy represents only a portion of weekly wages, employees of sports bodies, charitable' and men who have gone off Relief to become freezing works employees. Similar transport concessions, as applied last year, will be granted to men employed under the gold , prospecting scheme;