ROTATIONAL WORKERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23335, 29 October 1937, Page 15

ROTATIONAL WORKERS

TO THE EDITOR

Sir, —Will you please publish this letter so that someone in authority can give us the satisfaction we require concerning the conditions of the public works job at Duke's road. The placement officer advises us as

rotational workers that we are allowed travelling time one way to the job in the same manner as the Dunedin City Corporation employees are. When we get there, however, we are told that no time is allowed. We are placed on the same footing as permanent Public Works Department employees, and, therefore, lose wet time, but apparently receive no benefits at Christmas, as we started only yesterday. The money we will receive (£3 17s a week) will be devoted in most cases to replenishing understocked wardrobes, and. I hope a little better food than that on which we have lately been existing. As public works jobs close down tor the holidays at Christmas, are we to go on sustenance for the period or ..ow are we going to live? Our crowd has less than nine weeks to put in, and it will be impossible for us to save anything for that period of holidays. These ballots for rotational workers are drawn periodically, and, according to the way in which things and conditions are going, a man is particularly unfortunate in drawing a ballot in the Public Works Department.—l am, etc., October 27. Why and What For. [The conditions operating are those covering workers on full time on rotational employment, and are in accordance with the agreement entered into between the Public Works Department and the New Zealand Workers Union. Where no accommodation is provided on a job, men must travel to and from that job in their own time, and the special allowance payment of one penny per hour worked is placed against the cost of transport, which is in this case incurred by the department. "Men with more than two months' service are paid for gazetted public holidays—Christmas Day. Boxing Day and New Year's Day. This class of employment is rotational on full time for four months. At the conclusion of that period men are eligible for assistance under one of tne relief schemes.—Ed. O.D.T.]