RELIEF WORKERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21643, 13 May 1932, Page 7

RELIEF WORKERS

DISSATISFIED WITH NEW SCALE THE PROPOSED STRIKE SMALL MINORITY RESPOND (Per United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, May 12. A number of the relief workers in the city and its environs responded to a call to strike which was made at 10 a.m. to-day, but the figures available are incomplete because many of the men had already finished their week’s allocation before the declaration of, the strike. It appears that the number responding to the strike call constituted a small minority of the workers. The Strike Committee claims that by the week-end practically 100 per cent, of the men will have downed tools, but the truth of this assumption cannot be determined until Monday, when the men are due to recommence work.

The strikers spent the day holding meetings, and some parties of pickets visited the working gangs. Of the 1220 men who should have been at work to-day only 202 were absent, and most of the absentees were from parties in the Heathcote county where, of 180 men engaged, 150 struck. City Council workers’ wages are subsidised by the council and made up to 14s 6d a day. Nevertheless, 51 men struck out of 430. In some cases men left the job at the request of the pickets, but later returned to work.

Some groups have declared that they do not sympathise with the strike, and will not join it. However, the figures may not give a true indication of the position, as the Strike Committee had said that the men might, if they chose, complete their week’s allocation before joining the strike. Some have declared already that they will return to work on Monday. POSITION IN ( WELLINGTON. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, May 12. Nineteen hundred Wellington relief workers are on the various jobs to-day. By 206 votes to 194 the Hutt Valley relief workers decided to remain at work. STATEMENT BY MINISTER RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY FINANCE. .. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, May 12. If the Wellington relief workers’ demands concerning increased rates, of pay were applied throughout the whole country the cost to the Unemployment Board would be £103,676 a week, or £5,391,152 a year, for the administration of the No. 5 scheme alone without the other activities of the board being taken into consideration. ,

This statement was made to-day by the Minister of Employment during an interview. Mr Coates ; said that ’ under the revised scale of wages the revenue of the board would permit of an expenditure of only £60,000 a week under the No. 5 scheme in the four centres alone. Before the introduction of the new rates the board had been spending at the rate of £50,000 a week.

Discussing the position generally, the Minister said that those in work on relief jobs at present would receive the new scale of wages, and, in addition, hospital board assistance would be given in necessitous cases. As soon as the new scheme became fully' operative the relief workers would receive the revised rates of pay and* ration cards in addition, where these were required. The Minister repeated that he refused to make a statement to the whole of the relief workers' until everyone was back on the job.