Deferment of Calling-up Notices for Transport Men
Page 69
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THE C.M.I.T. A. has been in cornmunication with the Ministry of Labour and National Service with the object of clarifying the position in regard to the possibility of securing exemption for drivers and other skilled workers liable to.be'called up for service in the Forces. It is pointed out that recruitment is regulated by the schedule of reserved occupations, According to that schedule, as last published (a new edition is in preparation and will be available in the first week of next month), drivers of buses and coaches are exempted if above the age of 25 years, as also are drivers of goods vehicles weighing more than 2-1 tons unladen. Drivers of goods vehicles weighing from 11to 2. tons unladen are exempt if over the age of 30 years. Men below the ages shown in the schedule for their respective occupations may be called up or accepted for service in the Forces, although in the case of a number of important occupations, from which tradesmen required in the Services must be drawn, a man will be called up or accepted only if he is required for service in a trade corresponding to his civil occupation. It is pointed out that there is no provision for reservation from military. service on industrial grounds, otherwise than by the above schedule, In very exceptional cases, however, a short deferment of calling up for military service of men not reserved by the schedule may be considered.
The proper course for a firm desiring to make an application in respect of
an employee, whose temporary retention is regarded as essential to the carrying on of work of national importa.nce, is to make representations -to the Government department on the work of which they are principally engaged, or to the Government department chiefly concerned with the services which they provide (e.g., in the case of coal mines, to the Mines Department, or in the case of food transport, to the Ministry of Food), or, failing such a department, to the Board of Trade. It is particularly to be noted that applications can be considered only in respect of men who are actually liable to military service and who have registered according to the specific requirements of the National Service (Armed Forces) Act,