UNION AS CONTRACTOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23221, 19 June 1937, Page 6

UNION AS CONTRACTOR

HAWKE’S BAY RIVER WORKS TENDER TO BE SUBMITTED (Per United Press Association) HASTINGS, June 18. The problem of unemployment is being approacheed from a new angle by the Hawke’s Bay General Labourers’ Union, which proposes to submit as a union a tender for a contract involving the construction of 500,000 cubic yards of levees on the Hawke’s Bay Rivers Board river diversion scheme. The tender is conditional upon suitable arrangements being made for a deposit. The following scheme is suggested:—That a Works Committee should be in sole charge of the job, and should consist of the president and general secretary of the union, the employment officer, the Public Works engineer, and three men selected from the job; an overseer should be appointed in sole charge, subject to the control of the Works Committee; award wages should be paid throughout the job, the union to receive half the progress payments for office expenses on completion of the work after wages and other charges have been met. It is suggested that the final payment should be at the rate of 2 per cent, to the union and the balance divided among the men on an equal basis in pronortion to the time worked. If the union’s tender is successful, probably 100 men in Hastings will be absorbed.