SUSPENDING AWARD PROVISIONS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5357, 15 February 1916, Page 5

SUSPENDING AWARD PROVISIONS.

UNIONISTS LODGE PROTEST.

Electric Teleurarh—Press V.-MW«t»on

Wellington, This Day.

A special meeting of Trade Unionists last night considered the Order-iu-Council providing for the suspension of the provisios in any award or industrial agreement which prescribe conditions for the employment of under-rate workers and apprentices and provisions of the Ari bit rat ion Act so far as they prevent o *' restrict the employment of any discharged soldier. It was resolved : That in the opinion of this meeting there is no real need need for the method contemplated in the Urder-in-Council as in practically every award in existence a partially incapacitat'd or elderly worker is entitled to an under-rate permit whether intentional or otherwise. We fear the effect of the scheme now put forward would be to divert the pension awarded to a soldier because of wounds into the .pocftkMs of the employer; we regard the whole scheme as unfair to the discharged soldier and civilian follow-worker; we consider the only people to bo benefit'd would be the employer who, with the assistance of the Government, would reap a harvest from cheap labour at the' expense of the returned soldier.” The opinion of labour organisations is to be asked before March 15th.