ESSENTIAL WORKERS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 25, 24 October 1942, Page 8

ESSENTIAL WORKERS

Hardship Cases Under Consideration Manpower officers have been instructed not to transfer workers • to positions at a lower rate of wage if it can be avoided, but where a worker has suffered financial loss through transfer to'an essential industry the Government may consider financial assistance. “I am at present considering the possibility of assistance being granted, and in all probability recommendations will be placed before the Government,” said the Minister of Industrial Manpower, Mr. McLagan, when complaints were referred to him.

“We have got to see that essential work is carried on and we cannot allow woollen mills to be only partly staffed while unnecessary shops are still carrying on.” said Mr. McLagan. “In view of the shortage of women within the available age groups who can be transferred to esseptial work — and so far as the manpower officers are able to see there are not enough unemployed women within the age limits—we have to take women from other occupations. In order to provide a wider range of selection of women for direction to essential work we have recently increased the age group to include those up to 30 years. This will give us better opportunities of avoiding the infliction of hardship.”