Kaitoke sails after dispute

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32678, 6 August 1971, Page 1

Kaitoke sails after dispute

. The Union Steam Ship Company’s Kaitoke, which had been delayed at Lyttelton because of a dispute, sailed for Dunedin late yesterday afternoon.

The 3551-ton Kaitoke should have sailed late on Wednesday evening, but according to the company the crew refused to take her

to sea, claiming “hard-lying” compensation—in the form of an accumulated paid day off for every week they served in the ship—because of her age.

The Kaitoke, which had been discharging Australian cargo on Wednesday evening at Lyttelton, was to have over-carried 25 tons of Lyttelton cargo, which would have been sent back from

Dunedin. Because of the delay, the cargo was discharged yesterday morning. Agreement was reached between the Union Steam Ship Company and the men yesterday that their claim would be dealt with on a national basis. The crew agreed to take the ship to sea yesterday morning, and she was programmed to sail at 11 a.m. However, at sailing time the vessel was short of four men, who had presumably gone ashore. They were back yesterday afternoon, and the vessel sailed shortly before 4 p.m. The Kaitoke, although one of the older vessels in the company, is one of the "K” class, engaged in the intercolonial trade. These vessels probably form the backbone of the Union Steam Ship Company’s fleet today. There has been a strong opinion in shipping circles for some time that the “K” class vessels will be among the first to go if the company is reorganised—whether by the P and O Group, the present owner, or by the prospective purchaser, T.N.T. This would affect seamen’s jobs. The secretary of the Lyttelton branch of the Seamen’s Union (Mr J. O’Neil) had no comment to make on the Kaitoke dispute yesterday.