FEMALE LABOUR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 180, 3 August 1942, Page 2

FEMALE LABOUR

CONTROL IN AUSTRALIA CONSCRIPTION FOR WAR WORK Sydney, July 31. The Commonwealth Government has decided to take full control over all female labour in Australia. In future no female labour must be engaged except through National Service offices. Procedure will be similar to that required to engage male labour. The Government’s decision means that no labour required for the war effort will be absorbed in private or nonessential jobs. Regulations will be gazetted immediately to prevent any female worker changing her employment without the permission of the manpower authorities. The only exception will be where a woman employee over the age of 45 is required for more than 14 days of casual work or for voluntary work, or where the employee required is a midwife, professional nurse, or probationer to undergo 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 the transferring of labour to war industries would mt meet the demands.

The Minister of Munitions, Mr. N. J. O. Makin, announced that equal pay for men and women would be given a three-month 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 lx 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 the directorate of manpower. Organisations sponsored by private effort in several States will be incorporated in the national scheme. The national army will be in two sections, women enrolling for full-time work in rural production, who will be given working uniforms and badges; and women wanting short periods of seasonal work, who will be given badges only.