FOR 2s 6d A WEEK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23895, 24 August 1939, Page 2

FOR 2s 6d A WEEK

DOMESTIC WORKERS IN COUNTRY SOCIAL SECURITY AGE BENEFICIARIES (Special ro Daily Times) CHRISTCHURCH, Aug. 23. Domestic workers in some country homes are reported to be taking employment at 2s 6d a week and found. They are women who have reached the age of 60 and draw the social security benefits. They accept the 2s 6d a week as their pay because they fear that if they take more it will affect their social security benefit. This strange position is one of several that have been reported to have arisen because of confusion among women over the social security laws. Under the social security scheme a woman at 60 may receive a benefit of £1 10s a week from the State. In addition she may receive not more than £ 1 a week from wages or any other source. Many women at 60 are still capable of giving excellent service as domestic workers. They find that if they go into the country there is plenty of work offering. So they go, and they may earn £1 a week and still draw their weekly 30s from social security. Going into the country they take positions which give them their wage and keep. For social security purposes Cheir keep is officially estimated to be worth 17s 6d a week. Therefore they may earn only 2s 6d more without uDsetting their right to the age benefit. In this way an employer may obtain a good worker at 2s 6d a week and found, and no more. The found is not a large item in a country home where there are a fairly large number of persons to be fed. The worker—and there are reported to be many of them over 60—may be keen to find a congenial home and be happy to receive the 2s 6d and keep as well as the 30s a week that is drawn from the Social Security Fund. This position in most other spheres of labour would not occur, according to information given by Mr R. T. Bailey, of the Labour Department. He said that with farm labourers there was an award to provide for rates of pay, but there was no domestic workers' award, and workers who received such a low rate of pay were not breaking any award provisions. The procedure, nevertheless was contrary to the spirit of the social security legislation. ' , It has been stated further that though the employer in such cases as these pays the worker 2s 6d the worker receives actually only Is 6d a week. The qther shilling goes in social security tax levied on the pound she is assessed as having earned. __________________