Labour From Italy Banned By F.O.L.

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31007, 12 March 1966, Page 1

Labour From Italy Banned By F.O.L.

An Italian contracting company’s attempt to import 250 Italian indentured workers into New Zealand for tunnelling work at the Turangi power project has failed, according to the national secretary of the N.Z. Workers’ Union (Mr W. A. Dempster) yesterday.

Attempts to reach agreement to allow the 250 Italians into New Zealand for the job were made through the Minister of Electricity (Mr Shand), the Labour Department, and the Federation of Labour, said Mr Dempster.

An Italian construction complex has tendered for two big tunnelling contracts in the Tongariro power development scheme.

The Italian complex has tendered for the two largest of three tunnelling projects on the western diversion section of the scheme. They involve boring of a 10-mile and a nine-mile tunnel.

Mr Dempster said that New Zealand Workers’. Union had sought the support of the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) and the president of the Federation of Labour (Mr T. E. Skinner) to have the proposed entry of the Italian tunnel workers stopped. REDUNDANCY IN N.Z.

He said that the attempt to import 250 Italian workers was being made; a complete construction force of 500 to 600 skilled workers from the Matahina power project was becoming redundant.

Mr Skinner agreed to meet the Italian contractors at Mr Shand's suggestion to reach an agreement on importing indentured labour for tunnel work at Turangi, said Mr Dempster.

But after national officials of the New Zealand Workers’ Union had approached Mr Skinner on this subject, Mr Skinner agreed with the national officials that no indentured labour agreement would be entered into on behalf of the F.0.L., as long as there was a work force redundant and available in New Zealand. A deputation of tnree Workers’ Union delegates from Matahina, together with national officials of the union,

had waited on Mr Kirk in Wellington this week, Mr Dempster said. “Mr Kirk, after listening to the deputation, said on behalf of the Labour Party that ‘indentured labour’ and Tegimimate immigration’ were two different subjects entirely," said Mr Dempster. “While Mr Kirk agreed that the work force at Matahina should be given preference to Italian or other indentured labour or contract men the party was not opposed to bringing in specialists to do a particular job if there were no similar labour available in New Zealand. “Mr Kirk said that if there was a New Zealander, or resident of New Zealand available to do a particular job, then the job should go to residents already domiciled in this country, before labour was brought in. “Mr Kirk emphasised that he was not referring to genuine immigration to this country, but the party would not allow cheap labour to be introduced at Turangi or elsewhere. “ACT AS WATCHDOG”

“He asked that the union supply information of any incidences of this, and to act as watchdogs.” Mr Dempster said the union knew of an instance where the conditions of Indian scrubcutters warranted investigation. The same deputation that waited on Mr Kirk, he said, had earlier the same day waited on the Minister of Works (Mr Allen), the Commissioner of Works (Mr P. L. Laing) and the planning engineer of the Ministry of Works (Mr J. Halliwell). Strong opposition by the union to Italian contractors bringing in indentured Italian labour for the Turangi project was voiced by the deputation, said Mr Dempster. FURTHER WORK The three Ministry of Works leaders agreed that an approach to the union for further work for men becoming redundant at Matahina, would be immediately investigated.

Mr Halliwell would moot the acting-president of the union (Mr W. Whitty) and the union's Auckland branch secretary (Mr J. Hill) as well as local union officials at Matahina on Monday. The meeting would view the entering into of an agreement for transfer of Matahina workers to other hydroelectric projects throughout New Zealand. “The union contends that this large Matahina work force becoming redundant should not be allowed to disband, and urges for an immediate start on the new Kaituna power project, on the East Coast of the North Island,” said Mr Dempster.