Ship dispute continues

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32666, 23 July 1971, Page 3

Ship dispute continues

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, July 22. The Tasman freighter Kawerau is

still laid up by a dispute at Auckland after two days of talks between

Seamen’s Union officials and the ship’s owner, the Union Steam Ship Company.

According to the Merchant Service Guild, the dispute began when the Kawerau’s chief officer (Mr G. Kay) refused to allow the ship’s bosun to keep the crew’s overtime book. The Auckland manager for Union Steam (Mr R. C. Stevens). tonight refused to comment on a report that the Kawerau’s crejy would be paid off if site did not sail, but said the company hoped to resolve the dispute by 9 a.m. tomorrow. The guild’s secretary (Captain J. W. Dickinson), said Mr Kay had been presented with an ultimatum by the crew that they would not sail the ship unless the bosun was allowed to write up the overtime book. Chief officers were normally responsible for accounting for crews’ overtime, he said. The Kawerau dispute, and

disputes on two New Zealand ships in Australian waters, are believed to have resulted in a breakdown of the seamen’s award talks in Wellington. Union officials met representatives of the Shipowners’ Federation in Wellington today for talks on the new award, which is expected to come into effect in September. The federation’s president (Captain J. F. Holm), said today he preferred not to comment on the negotiations at present. A Union Steam spokesman in Wellington said that apart from the Kawerau dispute,

the Kapero had been delayed in Melbourne and the Koranui in Sydney. Both disputes were expected to be resolved very soon.