HOLIDAY PAYMENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 20 December 1937, Page 11

HOLIDAY PAYMENTS

WORKERS IX FACTORIES UNFAIR TREATMENT ALLEGED WARNING BY MINISTER By Telegraph-Presp Association} WELLINGTON, 18th December. The intention of the Government to legislate, if necessary, to prevent certain employers from acting unfairly towards their workers because of loopholes in the law was reiterated by the Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong) in an interview to-day. Mr Armstrong said that complaints had been received from various parts of the Dominion that employers in certain factories were notifying their employees that they would .finish up before the Christmas holidays. In some cases the workers were being told to apply for their positions again after the holidays, and there were a few instances in which they were not even being told that. “I know that in past years some factory proprietors have done that for the purpose of avoiding their responsibility in respect of holidays,” said the Minister, “but I hardly think that is the sole reason this time; because, tc avoid that responsibility, they would have had to sign their workers off fourteen days before the holidays under the provisions of the Factories Act. Complaints have been made to me that in some cases they are dispensing with the services of employees, and not on the ground of there being not sufficient work, because a number of factories have been working overtime in the past two or three months. The reason in some instances must be partly a desire to dodge the responsibility of holidays and partly an intention to dispense with the services of older boys and girls entitled to higher wages and replace them with youngsters just leaving school. “NOT PLAYING THE GAME”

“If employers take advantage of the position in that May they arc not playing the game,” declared Mr Armstrong, “and the Government Mill be forced to legislate to prevent a recurrence. They might get aMay with it this time; they might Min the first round, hut M'C will Min all the rest.

He added that before the Act was amended last year employers could sign off their workers right on Christmas and re-engage them after the holidays. In that way they could avoid liability for the holidays. The amendment stipulated that any person who worked in the fortnight before Christmas was entitled to holiday pay. In some of the cases now reported factories had closed down nearly three weeks before Christmas. There might be factories that, were overstocked and had to close down for a week or so. but if thcr" was no intention to avoid holiday liability they could quite well work up to Christmas and extend the holidays afterwards. “The way some employers are doing it is obviously with the object of defeating the purpose of the law and to cheat the workers out of something they are entitled to,” concluded the Minister.