MEDICAL FEES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26915, 29 October 1948, Page 6

MEDICAL FEES

UNDER AGE WORKERS THE EMPLOYER PAYS Under the provisions of the Factories Act a young person under the age of 16 years who desires to obtain employment, must first secure a medical certificate from the district medical officer for health or his nominee. For the examination, a fee of £1 Is is charged, but the employer pays. However, if the girl or boy leaves his or her employment before reaching the age of 16, another medical examination is necessary and again the employer pays one guinea. After such a doctor's examination an official certificate of fitness is issued to the employer. When the employee reaches the age of 16, and following the second examination, a clearance certificate is issued. For these charges the employer is not entitled to any rebate unfler the Social Security Act, and as the doctors who carry ouf such examinations operate under the Act and accept ordinary patients for a fee of 7s 6d, it is considered by employers that the charge of a guinea is. something in the nature of an imposition. Most young people who seek employment at under the statutory age are about 15J .years, or sometimes more. In some cases r they have only two or three months to go before reaching 16, yet the manufacturer-employer is obliged within the short space of three months to pay the cost of two medical examinations at £1 Is each. Further, a young person may accept employment at 15 years and nine months, stay on the job two months, involving the employer in the cost of two examinations, and if he then gets an application from another under-age boy or girl for a position, he must again pay for a third examination. As general practitioners make such examinations it is contended that the charge should not be'more than 10s 6d, or if it must remain at its present high figure the employer, who pays heavily into Social Security funds, should at least be entitled to a rebate of 7s 6d. During seasonal work at Christmas time some employers were in the habit of taking on a large number of school boys and girls for a few weeks. Such a procedure was mutually satisfactory to both employer and the young people, who were in search of pocket money. Since the Factories Act has required the medical examinations as outlined, many manufacturers have refrained from this practice, as they feel it is not worth while, especially as it means paying out perhaps 40 guineas for dual medical examinations for 20 casual employees.