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Times-Advocate, 1981-12-02, Page 2Page 2 Times -Advocate, December 2, 1981 Economy, winter slow -down cited Several area firms announce lay-offs for staff Five local industries have laid off a total of 231 workers for the winter months as the economically slow season approaches and companies feel the effects of a sluggish economy and high interest rates on their orders. In some cases, lav -offs took place much earlier than in the past. but company spokesmen expressed hope that all would be recalled for full production in the new year. Bad economic con- ditions were frequently blamed for forcing earlier lay-offs. The Canada Employment Center in Exeter noticed only a nominal increase in the.number of registered un- employed people in the month of November coin - pared to November last year In spite of the rash of earlier and heavy lav -offs. only six per cent more peo- ple than last year registered with the Employment ('enter. Dwayne Tinne v. office manager at Custom Trailers in Exeter said his company laid off 17 workers September 4. of whom two were recalled early in November. "The winter is normally a slower period for us. We are usuallyquite busy up until August ,"he said. The lay-off is only tem- porary and they should be recalled again in the spring, he said. 1f we were still depen- ding on the main product of 12 to 15 years ago, we would be closed today," he added. "These last three years have been very trying for us because of the decline in the housing industry." Custom Trailer has broadened to produce modular.homes and mobile industrial units, he said. A WOOLY FLOAT -- Leanne McIntyre and her sheep provided the automation for Kerry Dykeman in her doll house in Saturday's Santa Claus parade. T -A photo Several employee groups under jurisdiction of Huron County Council have had salary contracts approved. Council approved a con- tract for 1981 and 1982 for Registered Nurses and nur- Santa Claus Continued from front page charge of organizing the parade. He said he was pleased with the turnout of paraders although the numbers were down somewhat from last year. PUC rate Continued from front page to be given to PUC employees Davis said in order to qualify for a partial premium deduction for un- employment insurance, part of the money had to be returned to the employees. He said a Christmas dinner or a gift qualified for this return A letter from the Ontario Municipal Electric Associa- tion told the N'(' that the OMEA would he opposing Hydro's attempts to reduce the differential between ur- ban and rural hydro billing. The proposed bin 141 would reduce the difference in billings to just 15 percent. by collecting an additional $34 million from Hydro's urban customers The letter claim- ed this goes against the government's philosophy of ..power at cost." The commission reap- pointed Murray Greene as its chairman and Chan Livingstone as vice chair- man for 1982 sing director of Huronview in Clinton. The bi- • salaries for the nursing dir o are as follows. with 1980 ries in brackets: start 1981 - $834, 1982 - $934. ($7701: six months 1981 - $848. 1982 - $950. (new term); one year 1981 - $861. 1982 - $964, ($793 (: two years 1981 - $r:9, 1982 - $996. ($817); three years 1981 - $915. 1982 - $1,- 025. 4842). : four years, 1981 - $943. 1982 $1.056, ($865); five years 1981 - $970. 1982 - $1,- 086. ( new term). The hi -weekly salaries for Registered Nurses are as follows. with 1980 salaries in brackets start 1981 - $734. 1982 - $821. ($6631; six months 1981 - $748. 1982 -$838 (new term): one year 1981 - $761. 1982 - $852. ($6861: two years 1981 - $789. 1982 - $884. ($710(: three years 1981 -) $815. 1982 - $914. ($7331: four years 1981 - $843. 1982 - $944. ( $757) : five years 1981 - $8'70, 1982 - $974. (new term t. Huron County Health Unit home care staff had its 1982 salaries approved. The salaries are as follows. with 1981 salaries in brackets: physiotherapist $988 ($:;2): occupational therapist $14.50 per hour ($13 per hour): assistant administrator and co-ordinator. start $802 ($708). one year $834 ($7361, two years $862 ($766). three years $902 ($7961. four years $937 ($828). five years $962 1$850). Salaries for the county weed inspector and tree commissioner increased from $6 ViiO per hour to $7.25 per hour Huron County council also hired Joe Gib- son as tree commissioner. since present tree com- missioner Joe Dietrich has retired. Mr. Gibson had been assistant tree com- missioner. Besides salary approvals. council approved mileage rate increases for county employees. The rate will in- crease by one cent, from 14 cents to 15 cents and from 17 cents to 18 cents effective January 1. 1982. Mileage rates will also increase by one quarter of a cent per kilometre for each two cent increase in the price of gas- oline throughout 1982. In other money matters. council approved increasing the amounts of bursaries and scholarships for 1982. They will be increased from $150 to $200 These financial awards are given to Huron County students achieving high marks in their programs in post secondary education. Winter lay-offs were not even known at Custom Trailer until four years ago. This year. the lay-off will remove about half of the total production staff, he said. "But I think things will get better in the next few years for us," he concluded. Seventy-two were laid off at General Coach in Hensall last Friday. according to general manager Andy 'manse. This will leave a small group on hand in the plant for the interim until the expected recall date of January 18. "We usually close for two to three weeks from mid-December to January. but the lack of de- mand meant we had to do this early." he said. At Big '0' Drain Tile in Exeter. president Grant Kime reported that due to high interest rates and the economy's condition in general. his company will operate on a much shorter term. "We will return to full production in the new year, but at this time we will be working nearly on a week -to - week basis to keep produc- tion down to the market season." he said. He said the Hensall production plant laid off 12 of its 30 workers, who will be brought back in mid-January or mid-February. The company has plants in Dresden, Comber, Winchester. one in Quebec, and one at Taber, Alberta. The plants at Dresden and in Quebec have been shut down for the season while the other three are at full capacity, he said. "The Hen- sall plant will continue to run although there has been a slowdown experienced there." The company makes drain tiles which are used to drain farmland. "We once made as many tiles in winter as in the summer. but that's not true now," he said. John Burke, general manager at Kongskilde in Exeter. said there had been no lay-offs, "and it is not our plan to do so, but who can predict what the economy will do in the next six months?" he said. Kongskilde is a Danish - owned company. The Exeter plant makes tillage equip- ment and employs 50 workers. All of them are still working through the winter months and two work shifts are being maintained, he said. The demand for their products has grown well in the last 10 years, he claimed. "Half of our output is ex- ported to the U.S. where the market is still stable," he said. "We recently sent some to a sister industry in South Africa and a deal with the Soviet Union is being negotiated now." "We were quite satisfied with 1981 compared to last year. Our level of shipments was about the same," he said. At Fleck Manufacturing in Huron Industrial Park, 68 workers were laid off in the last four weeks, all of whom were probationary employees hired to handle a spurt in business, according to plant manager Bill Leaver. Fleck makes .elec- trical harnesses for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler car assembly plants. "These workers had been hired to meet a rise in de- mand. and we had to let them go until January or February," Leaver said. There are 155 workers left in the plant now. Fleck noted a record number of production workers on its payroll this year as they reached 230 in number at one point. "We expanded our product lines to take a larger share of the market," he said. "We were looking for a good year in 1982." At Dashwood Industries in Centralia, vice-president of operations Alan Hankin said 108 were laid off Oct. 2 and 56 were let go Nov. 20. "We expect to recall them in mid- February or sooner if the market improves," he said. He estimated this year's lay- off were about the same in number as last year's. Poor economic conditions made the lay-offs come sooner this year than In 1980, he said. Last year, workers were let go for the winter at the beginning of January in- stead of in the preceeding fall. Production this winter will be carried on by the 140 workers remaining in the plant. Those unemployed for the winter represent about half of the yearly average work force. At the Canada Employ- ment Center in Exeter, 549 people were registered in November as unemployed, compared to 520 for the same month last year, ac- cording to employment counsellor Susan McKee. The center is ready to offer a variety of job search and re- training program`s for those in need of special help in fin- ding another job, she said. Most local businesses and industries use the Center to find their workers, and hire all kinds of people from clerical and office help to skilled workers there. The Center can help by showing them a weekly publication called the National Job Bank, which is a complete list of hard -to -fill jobs all over the country as reported by other Employ- ment Centers. For those who could benefit by moving to a more prosperous region in the country. the Center offers the Canada Manpower Mobility Program which will pay a worker's travell- ing costs to a designated opening or interview. The person using it must go to the nearest destination if more than one is available. Many of Mrs'. McKee's clients are showing a definite interest in returning to some form of schooling to better equip themselves with skills. Canada Man- power will pay someone to take classroom training at an institution such as Conestoga College. For someone who is train- ing in a factory on the job, wage 'dieswill bepaid to the employer at the rate of 40 per cent for existing workers, 60 per cent for formerly jobless men and women. and 85 per cent for special trainees such as the physically handicapped. "Women are also showing an interest in formerly male -dominated work areas." Mrs. McKee said. She cited carpentry and machine shop work as ex- amples they are pursuing. "All the women coming into our office are individually asked if they would consider it. and many of them are more open to the idea," she said. PORTABLE JUG BAND- The Times Advocate -Farm Update entry in the Exeter Santo Claus parade Saturday 1 ured the popular Jug Band, who played some Christmas favorites in their own, distinctive style. T -A photo ViSiT,US AT CENTRE MALL Main St., Exeter VI JA ENTRE; ,jumors UNISEX HAIR DESIGN We're pleased to introduce aII thumb s afghans - paintings pottery - dried arrangements silver jewellery baskets - weaving photography - silk scarves Proprietor - Kenley G. Campbell Centre Mall, Exeter Ph. 235-0779 Lynne Smith Fridays 7-9 p.m. Saturdays 1-5 p.m. Lynne will be available Tuesday through Satur- days for: Manicures, Pedicures, Eyebrow Arching and Makeup. She is a professional in all these areas and is looking forward to ser- ving you. 235-0202