WORKERS MAY BE DISMISSED

Southland Times, Issue 23856, 29 June 1939, Page 4

WORKERS MAY BE DISMISSED

SCHEME 13 MEN AT BLUFF LEAVING JOBS FOR WHARF LABOUR An instruction that men employed on harbour works under Scheme No. 13 should be dismissed if they leave their work to take employment on the wharf was given by the Bluff Harbour Board last night. “My attention has been drawn to the fact by the foreman concerned that Scheme No. 13 workers are leaving work or not reporting for work without notifying us of their intention,” stated a report from the engineer.(Mr D. E. S. Mason). “The men have been allocated to the board by the certifying officer and work and tools are provided by the board. The men, however, notice that ships are in port and instead of proceeding to work, go to the wharf and, I understand, compete with labour outside the Waterside Workers’ Union for wharf work. From one point of view this is not right in that the Scheme No. 13 men obtain full remuneration, probably including overtime, from the stevedore and railway and then return to their unemployment allocation. Consequently they frequently enjoy more than full wages for the week. The ordinary non-union man has not this opportunity and I understand that there is some feeling of resentment that the board should permit this. My own men have also expressed the view that this practice is unfair in that the Scheme No. 13 men are thus enabled on occassions to draw more money a week than the regular hands. There is no way in which the certifying officer can check the earnings of Scheme No. 13 men as there is now no means test.” Mr J. Cameron said the Bluff Borough Council had had a similar experience and found it necessary to take action to prevent men from leaving subsidized work without notice to take work on the wharf. Such absences disorganized the work.