REHABILITATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25303, 13 August 1943, Page 4

REHABILITATION

RESTORATION TO FORMER POSITIONS DIFFICULTIES FORESEEN (Special) WELLINGTON, Aug. 12. The council of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation recently met the Minister of Supply, Mr D. .G. Sullivan, and the Minister of Rehabilitation, Major C. F. Skinner,, tc discuss certain aspects of rehabilitation. ~ , .., Mr C. V. Smith, president of the federation, who presented the case, said that the council felt that, as by far the largest percentage of men and women would desire to go back to their old jobs, the first problem should be to ensure that their jobs were available. It might be thought that _as legislation had been passed requiring employers to take back their former employees this angle did not require attention, but employers could not ao this if work was not available. Problems Facing Employers A casual review of the position, Mr Smith said, would indicate that a large number of jobs would not. be availab.e through circumstances outside the ■ con? trot of the emploj or. There were fzctories to-day which, although busily engaged on war contracts, could not resume domestic production because of shortage of raw materials. Shortages and controls in other directions would prevent many of the distributing trades from reengaging staff. War regulations had been brought in for the purpose of economising man-power. Other, regulations introduced to save materials had also resulted in a saving of man-power. Many of these regulations had enabled employers to carry on with greatly reduced staffs, but reduced staffs were not a solution to rehabilitation. ..... The federation did . not wish to disparage the work done by the Rehabilitation Board, but it did appear from published reports that its main energies had been directed towards finding jobs for the few. while the major problems appeared to have been overlooked. The proposition to purchase land, for example, could only be regarded as a minor phase of rehabilitation, inasmuch as the Government could not hope to rehabilitate thousands by this scheme. It was unthinkable that any Government would allow men to return and find themselves in want, and no doubt suitable allowances would meantime be paid. But the soldier did not want charity—he wanted a job. and the federation considered that the most pressing duty of rehabilitation was to concentrate on ensuring that as far as possible jobs would be available for the large majority of men and women who would want to taite up their civil occupation at least where they left off. The federation suggested, therefore, that an immediate review should be made to ascertain to what extent these jobs were available or what steps were necessary to make them available and to restore as soon as possible the normal flow of internal trade. An Organised Inquiry . -. The necessity was also emphasised for the Government to make direct contact with the main industrial and commercial employers of the country to organise such a review, as the employers of the labour were the best judges of the factors militating against the possibility of re-em-ployment of their pre-war staffs. In so far as manufacturers were concerned, the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation offered its assistance in such an investigation through its various , local and national trade groups. The federation also reiterated its previous request that the time was more than opportune for the establishment of a commission to investigate the potentialities of New Zealand not only from the viewpoint of absorbing returned soldiers. but from the bigger ,angle of increasing the population of the Dominion. Subsequently the federation considered clause 2 of the Industrial Conciliation ana Arbitration Amendment Bill, and is of the opinion that this will still further prevent early and smooth absorption oi returned men into their previous occupations. .''.

Clause 2 of the Act provides that an employer is liable to a penalty of £25 if he dismisses any worker or alters any worker’s position to his prejudice at any time within 12 months of the workers membership or connection with any industrial union, or if the worker had acted as an assessor on a Council of Conciliation; had represented a union or branch in any negotiations or conferences between employers and "workers; was entitled to some benefit of an award, order, or agreement, or had made or caused to be made a claim for any-such benefit for. himself.' or any other worker, or had supported any such claim: whether ,by giving evidence or otherwise; or had riven, evidence in any proceedings under the principal Act. It is held to be a defence to the employer if he proves that the worker was dismissed or that his position was alterra for a reason other than those enumerated. A worker is deemed to be dismissed if he is suspended for a longer period than 10 days. ' '