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[ Comments:

This story in the NZ Herald is so sad ... no one can describe how this man and his family are
feeling right now. So far "run down" has our country become - the effective wage burden is just :

$ 2.66 per hour for the employer in this case (he hasn't done anything wrong) -
if it were paid - so this poor man has not only worked for peanuts - he has worked for
absolutely nothing !

Decide for yourself - is this the future for us ?
Is this the way we want to present ourselves to the world ?

Please make up your mind this time - you too could come into such a situation ! ]

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Item from the NZ Herald :

02/11/99 - Winz job saga leaves worker unpaid

Pictured: Beneficiary Scott Ka worked for 6 months without pay.

By Josie Clarke

                 An Auckland beneficiary has given up work after six
                 months without pay because of an employment
                 wrangle with Work and Income New Zealand
                 (Winz).

                 Scott Ka, a domestic purposes beneficiary since 1992, started work at the
                 Falcon Spares wreckers' yard in Panmure in May under a Winz subsidised
                 employment scheme on the understanding that he would earn $160 a week.

                 Instead, he has been forced to support himself and his 9-year-old daughter on
                 $56 a week while he waits for Winz to agree to subsidise his employer for half his
                 wages.

Mr Ka found work after $40 of his $96 benefit began to be deducted for fines.
Winz pays Mr Ka's weekly $240 rent bill.

                 His employer, Falcon Spares owner Greg Lovell, agreed to pay Mr Ka $160 a
                 week for 30 hours' work provided he received an $80 subsidy from Winz to help
                 him meet the cost of wages.

But after six months of phone calls and meetings with case workers, Mr Lovell
has still not received the subsidy and Mr Ka has not been paid any wages.

                 Mr Lovell said Mr Ka had proven himself to be a good worker and he had offered
                 to pay his share of Mr Ka's wages in the meantime, but Winz had warned him
                 that Mr Ka's benefit could drop further if he paid him.

"Winz tell us one thing and do something totally different. They are playing us
like we are idiots," Mr Lovell said.

"I just want to give these guys help to get back into the workforce, but Winz won't
play ball."

                 Mr Ka said Winz admitted at a meeting yesterday afternoon that his work broker
                 had initially mistakenly put him on the 20-day voluntary Work Experience
                 programme rather than the Job Plus programme, which would have made him
                 eligible for the $160 in wages.

He said Winz had offered him two months' backpay if he joined the new scheme,
but he felt frustrated and let down and had refused the offer.

An adviser for Winz, Amanda Eves, said the service was not legally able to
discuss Mr Ka's case.

                 Mr Ka applied for and received one food grant of $150, but relied heavily on family
                 and friends for meals after the money was spent, mainly on his daughter's
                 lunches and school needs.

He had looked forward to spending part of his earnings on buying his daughter
new clothes.

"After months of working, I don't even know if I'll be able to buy her a Christmas
present."

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