DUTY REFUSED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 196, 19 August 1936, Page 16

DUTY REFUSED.

CREWS OF TWO TRAWLERS.

DISPUTE OVER WAGES,

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, Tuesday.

While the Lyttelton trawler crews employed by P. Feron and Son have refused duty pending a satisfactory settlement of a dispute which arose 011 Sunday; one of the trawlers, the Phyllis, left Lyttelton at a late hour on Monday night with a scratch crew recruited from Christeliurch, and had not reported back at her base late to-night. Meanwhile, the permanent members of the Phyllis' crew are awaiting her return in order to reclaim their personal belongings, which they state, were left on board the vessel on Sunday. The grounds of the dispute were requests made by the crews of the trawlers Phyllis and Muriel for the restoration of the 1931 wages scale in conformity with the order recently enacted by Parliament. The manager of the employing company, Mr. E. J. Newman, refused the request on the ground that no award existed in 1931 for employees of trawling companies, and the legislation therefore did not apply to the crews of the Phyllis and the Muriel. Tlie men say that repeated efforts were made during the last six weeks to arrange a'conference with Sir. Newman, but 110 satisfaction was received until last Sunday, when matters came to a head. Recently, the members of the two crews have become members of the Seamen's Union, which has taken up their case.