RAILWAY DISMISSALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20646, 19 August 1930, Page 13

RAILWAY DISMISSALS.

EX-SOLDIERS' POSITION. MEN TO BE RETAINED CHANGE IN STATUS ONLY. [BY TELEGRAPH. S I'EC TAL HEl'OltTElt. ] WELLINGTON, Monduy. "Is it. the policy of tho Government to dismiss from the Railway Department in Auckland relumed soldiers who were originally designated 'permanent casuals' and are now designated 'emergency casuals'?" asked the Leader of the Opposition, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coatcs, in an urgent question to the Minister of Railways, the Hon. W. A. Veitcli, in the House of Representatives today. Mr. Coates added that returned soldiers. married men with children, on the Auckland goods agent's staff, had received notice of the termination of their services as from last Saturday. "It is not proposed to dismiss the men who have had formal notice of the termination of their engagement as regular casuals," replied the Minister. "The idea of applying the regulation regarding a guaranteed weekly wage to the case of regular casuals has developed and this was giving rise to some difficulty in connection with the distribution of available work among casuals who had fairly regular employment. In order to enable us to obtain the necessary elasticity to permit of the work being rationed among the men so as to avoid terminating the services of some men while retaining others for full time, it was decided to change tho designation of these employees from regular casuals to emergency casuals. They were accordingly given formal notice of the termination of their engagement as regular casuals, but there is no intention of actually terminating their work in the department while wc have work for them to do. "Tho action taken has been directed to the best interests of the men in order to ameliorate hardship that might arise as a result of the slackness in business curtailing the amount of work available." Mr. Coates: Will there be any preference for the returned soldiers? A number of them were given jobs there when they returned from the front. Mr. Veitcli: They are not all returned soldiers. Mr. Coates: No? Mr. Veitcli: If they were given preference before they will be given preference now. Mr. Coates expressed the view that the Minister's reply was unsatisfactory.