RELIEF WORKS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 102, 27 October 1933, Page 9

RELIEF WORKS

RE-EMPLOYMENT OF MEN

POSITION EXPLAINED

A number of complaints concerning the • re-employment upon relief work of men who have' taken subsidy or private employment have been received by the Wellington Trades and Labour Council. According to advice the council has received from the Unemployment Board, who had the matter placed before them, the position is that where an unemployed worker has once qualified for and been engaged upon relief work, and subsequently '■ obtains private employment, ho may, at the discretion of the certifying officer, bp given work in the first week after reregistration, provided, of course, that he is in all other respects eligible to receive relief. The board is reminding the bureau of this in case the position complained of has arisen through the oversight of an individual stationed there. .. It was stated on behalf of the. Trades and Labour Council yesterday that the object of the council in endeavouring" to secure from the Unemployment Board a pronouncement on this question was to encourage men to take subsidy or private work. So far there had been a fear that if any of the men engaged upon relief work were fortunate enough to obtain some employment from another source, they would be penalised by having to stand down two weeks before being able to qualify for further relief work. This would havo the effect of men refusing to take other employment for short periods, and consolidating relief work as the only employment to.be taken. "We submit that tho policy of the board should be to encourage men to take other work than relief work whenever possible, and so relieve the call upon tho funds in order that more might be given to those less fortunate,'? it was stated. "In actual practice the policy seems to be to penalise those who are most deßirious to improve their lot by compelling them to stand down from further relief work for one or two weeks if they take a private or subsidy job of two or three weeks. "Tho council is pleased to note that the board will remind the labour bureau that men will be given work: in the first week of re-registration, at the discretion of the certifying officer, but would have preferred the board to make a general order on tho subject peimitting the return of men to relief work as soon as their private or subsidy work was completed."