Government Stops Timber Workers' Wage Subsidy

Chronicle (Levin), 6 August 1949, Page 5

Government Stops Timber Workers' Wage Subsidy

WELLINGTON, August 5. Notice from the Government of its cgncellation of the subsidy on over^ time worked in forests hy timhercutters received" by the sawimillers this week means heavy wage cuts for the workers. The v abolition of the , spbgijdy, beCome/^effective from Aug- " ust '2():' 'ihtrdducM'as an incentive to the production qf building timber s the canCellatiop " of tfte subsidy will have the eff ect of bringing the jndus- • try back to a forty-hour week. Indigenous forests will not be affected. Sinee its introduction the timber workers have been toiling, 44 hours weekly, four of them at time and a half. The removal qf the sub- I sjdy will result in. a wage cut of from 23s to 33s weekly in the pa#- en- i velopes of timber workers engaged in j exotic forests. j It is understood that the reason j fpr the Government 's action is that , sufficient, stocks of timber for building purposes have now been accuanu- ■ lated, aiid it is considered there is po jpnger a need for the continuance of qvertime work. The subsidy will qontinue to be paid in indigenous fprests, but the millers' fears that ' Workers will leave the exotic forests ' and seek work in the native forests j are stated to he groundless hecause i the cutting of the indigenous forests " is said to he so controlled that there ' • will he no opportunity for employment in them of extra labour.