PRE-WAR EMPLOYMENT

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 71, Issue 6139, 21 September 1945, Page 4

PRE-WAR EMPLOYMENT

EX-SERVICEMEN’S RESPONSIBILITY “In their advice to ex-servicemen, the officers of this department give them every encouragement to return to their pre-service employers, always provided there is' a worth-while job for them to return to,” says a statement issued by the Rehabilitation Department. “Mien from overseas are contacted as soon' as possible after their return, while all ex-servicemen are acquainted of their rights under the Occupational Re-establishment Regulations, by which their pre-service positions are guaranteed should they wish to resume them. 1 “They are, however, also advised that the regulations do not include an indefinite guarantee. On the other hand they fix certain well-defined limits. The serviceman must apply for re-instatement before the expiration of one month after the termination in New Zealand of his military service or before the end of six months after the termination overseas of such service, or during any period of leave without pay. “Ebcperience to date has showfi very few cases where difficulty is encountered. This, of course, may be largely due to the shortage of skilled labour; the return from service of trained personnel is generally welcomed by employers. Of the 63,000 who according to the last re-establishment figures had returned to civil life, almost 20,000 had gone back to their pre-service employers. This is a happy augury, since a large part of the task of rehabilitation is in picking up the threads where they were left off. However, an almost equal number have managed to find employment for themselves, While nearly 15,000 were placed as the result of departmental effort. It is, however, necessary for ex-servicemen to remember that they have a responsibility under the regulations governing their pre-service employment, and should they wish to resume it they should notifiy their employers with; as little delay as possible. It is also incumbent on employers on their part to make sure that the ex-servicemen on returning have every opportunity for training and improvement in the jobs to which they return 1 .”