RELIEF WORKERS AND HOLIDAYS

Southland Times, Issue 23796, 19 April 1939, Page 15

RELIEF WORKERS AND HOLIDAYS

QUESTION FOR CITY COUNCIL PAYMENT TO MEN NOT NOW ON JOB “The men who are still in employment on relief works at the end of the financial year having been granted paid holidays, numerous inquiries are now being received as to the treatment to be given to those men who h ave been employed in the past for some period and who have left our employment,” stated a clause in the report, of the city engineer (Mr F. M. Corkill) received at last night’s meeting of flie Invercargill City Council. Information about the matter was sought by Cr R. T. Parsons. “I understand,” he said, “that the engineer has held up the payment of some men employed under Scheme 13. I would like to know if the matter has been completed yet.” Mr Corkill said that all the. men on the pay-roll at the present time had been paid, but a number of men had left and the question was whether they should be paid. He had written, to the Government and until he received definite information he could not act. There was no question of him holding up the matter. A letter on the same subject from the Department of Labour stated: “I understand that the workers concerned received six and a-half days’ holiday, whereas, in the opinion of the department, the correct computation should be 10 days, calculated from July 1,1937, to March 1, 1939. Will you please advise me of the council’s intentions in the matter.”

The superintendent of reserves (Mr B. P. Mansfield) reported that “the period of service should only date from the coming into force of the current award, under which it was agreed to grant holidays to relief workers.” It was decided to refer the matter to the chairman of the committees concerned and the chairman of the Finance Committee, with power to act