WORKING CONDITIONS AT COBB

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 30 September 1942, Page 4

WORKING CONDITIONS AT COBB

COMPANY’S EMPLOYEES The responsibility of Manpower : Officers to see that men directed to i ! any particular employment had prop- i I er working conditions was commentI ed on by the chairman oi the Christ- 1 i church Manpower Industrial Commitj tec* (Mr K. G. Archer) at yesterday’s sitting of the committee in Nelson. An appellant against direction to employment on the Cobb hydro-elec-tric works stated that the working conditions at the Cobb were not good and that several men sent there had remained in the Cobb only a few days. ' _ Mr M. Ott, District Manpower Ol- | ficer, explained that the Hume Pipe I Company which was carrying out j part of the construction work, was j short of employees and a number of men who recently completed their j employment on aerodrome construe* I lion had been directed to the Cobb. One complaint had been that it was impossible for the men to purchase blankets but blankets were now available to them. In answer to the chairman, Mr j Ott said he did not know if the ! blankets were supplied by the com- ; pany or if the men had to buy them. | Continuing, Mr Ott said he underi stood that whereas the* Public Works ! Department men received a minii mum wage, the company's employees ; were engaged under the general lab- ! ourers’ award conditions. At times ; they lost considerable working hours j through wet weather and had no ! minimum wage. A deputation from I the men had referred to the time lost jby wet weather. He understood that i some new arrangement would be • made by the week-end as the result of a visit by a union official. The chairman: “If a man is directed to employment he should be assured of proper working conditions.” Mr P. J. Kelly (employees’ representative! expressed the opinion that the men at the Cobb should have a