FEMALE LABOUR

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 260, 1 August 1942, Page 7

FEMALE LABOUR

Australian Government Takes Full Control (Received July 31, 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, July 31. The Commonwealth Government has decided to take complete control over all female labour. In, future no female labour must be engaged except through National Service offices. Procedure will be similar to that now required to engage male labour. Tlie Government’s decision means that no labour required for the war effort will 'be absorbed in private or non-essential jobs. Regulations will be gazetted immediately to prevent any female worker changing her employment without permission of the manpower authorities. The only exceptions will be where a woman employee of over 45 is required, where women are required for no more than 14 days’ casual work or for voluntary work, or where tlie employee required is a midwife, professional nurse, or probationer to uu'dergo training as a nurse.

Urgent recommendations for the conscription of women for war work are reported to have 'been made to the Federal Government by big factory employers. It is understood that this advice resulted from disclosures of serious labour shortages in many war industries, and that present plans for transferring labour to war industries would not meet the demands. The Minister of Munitions, Mr. Makin, announced, that equal pay for men and women would be given a three months’ test at one large. Government factory and its subsidiaries., At the end of that period the Women’s Employment Board would examine the position and decide whether or not the principle should be extended to other Government factories. The Federal Government has approved the creation of a national Women’s Land Army, which will recruit and supervise women land workers under tlie directorate of manpower. Organizations sponsored by private effort in several States will be incorporated in tlie national scheme. The national army will be in two sections, first women enrolling for fulltime work in rural production, who will be given working uniforms and badges; secondly, women wanting short periods of seasonal work, who will be given badges only.