RELIEF WORK CUT

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 74, 29 March 1933, Page 8

RELIEF WORK CUT

REDUCED BY AN HOUR

NEW WET WEATHER RULE

MUST STAY ON JOBS

On Monday the secretary of the Wellington Relief Workers' Union, Mr. D, S. Campbell, was notified by the Unemployment Bureau that there ' would, be a three-hour cut in the time allocated to relief workers on city jobs for the current week. The matter was taken up with the Unemployment Boaid, stated Mr. Campbell this morning, and, after two days' negotiations the board had agreed to reduce the cut by an hour, to one of two hours. Since the beginning <)£ March men who were unfit for heavy work have been placed on the susteiiance-without-pay list and have received 50 per cent, only of the amount they would have received had they been at work. The Relief Workers' Union also took this matter up with the bureau and the Uiiemploj-ment Board, who have agreed to allow these men an extra grant in the way of rations. ■ ■ "There still remain, however, , 300 men who are taken off the jobs each week under the rotary system and placed on the 50 per cent, 'dole," said Mr. Campbell, "These men receive no ration allowance whatever." CONCERN OVER NEW RATE. With the advent of winter the dilapidated state of shelter sheds or the lack of all shelter on the ,iob3 is causing great concern, he added, for under a rule introduced this month men are required to remain on the jobs or lose their time. Under the previous rule they were required to report on the jobs and, if the weather was too bad for work, were allowed to return to their homes. If the men could keep dry, said Mr. Campbell, there would not be such objection to the Tule, unnecessary though it appeared to be to the men, but as conditions were enforcement was going to be a serious matter. On many of the jobs there is no shelter at all, and to reach certain of the works the men have to walk upwards of half a mile from the nearest tram stop, if they are ablo to use trams. The re-' suit will be that if the rule is applied they will have to stay on the jobs wet through all day. On other jobs the sheds are in such a state or are such makeshifts that they are practically useless in heavy or driving rain, and only in a very few cases are wooden floors provided. Many of the men have no change of working clothing and to them the matter is serious from a health point of view. A deputation had waited on the Mayor last week, said Mr. CampTßell, and had placed the men's view on that subject before him and the engineer's department. Mr. Hislop had stated that he could see no reason for the chango and that he' w^uld take the. matter up with the Unemployment Board. Tho Belief Workers' Union also proposed to refer the health aspect to tho Minister of Health and the Minister of Employment. These and other questions in regard to relief works in the' city/ are to bo discussed at a public meeting in the Town Hall tomorrow evening, when the Mayor will preside. !