DISCHARGED SOLDIERS

Southland Times, Issue 17658, 16 February 1916, Page 5

DISCHARGED SOLDIERS

PROVISION FOR UNDER-RATE WAGES. TRADE UNIONISTS’ PROTEST. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, February 15. A special meeting of trade unionists last night considered an Order-jn-Coun-cil providing for the suspension of those provisions of any award or industrial agreement whicli prescribe conditions of employment of underrate workers, apprentices in the provisions of the Arbitration Act so far as they prevent or restrict the employment of any discharged soldiers. It was resolved: “In the opinion of this meeting there is no real need for the method contemplated by the Order-in-Council as in practically every award in existence a partially incapacitated or elderly worker is entitled to an underrate permit whether intentional or otherwise. We fear the effect of the scheme now put forward would be to divert the pension awarded the soldiers because of wounds into the pockets of the employer. We regard the whole scheme as unfair to the discharged soldier and his civilian fellow-worker and consider that the only people who would be benefited would he the employer who, with the assistance of the Government, would reap the harvest of cheap labour at the expense of the returned soldier.” The opinion of Labour organisations is asked before March 15.