Amalric crew ignores settlement

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33987, 30 October 1975, Page 1

Amalric crew ignores settlement

(New Zealand Press Association} AUCKLAND, October 29. A part settlement in the British seamen’s strike in Auckland was reached tonight after protracted talks between the seamen and their union representative from Britain.

Five of the six striking crews of British ships agreed to return to work and lift their picket lines tonight, after the talks with Mr R. J. Wilkins, of the British National Union of Seamen.

Only the crew fromt [the Shaw Savill vessel' iAmalric, in which the trouble began 13 days ago, remain steadfast in their demand for wage parity with New Zealand seamen. The crews of the other 1 ships — the Wild Auk, Cedric, Port Auckland, Fremantle Star, and ACT 2— I decided after almost eight 1 hours of talks with Mr Wilkins to return to work immediately. The representatives from the Shaw Savill cargo ship Amalric were first to leave , the meeting with Mr Wilkins, | and one of the crew mem- ] bers, Mr B. Snelgrove, said ' that no headway had been

imade. The picket on his ship {would remain. 5 Thirty minutes later, Mr ' Wilkins completed his talks ’ with the other crews, i He reported his progress, J or lack of it, to the meeting . of combined waterfront unions, and then began telephoning the various ships to r confirm whatever decision the meeting had reached. Mr Wilkins, the assistant - general secretary of the t union, arrived in Auckland r from London last Wednesc day. i Strike fund 1 The seamen said earlier to- ■ day that a strike fund had ■ been opened to help to sup-; • port their families in Britain. 1 This now contained S7OO. ! They said that it was be-i ling supported by rank and. j file members of the Auck-1 hand Waterside Workers’! Union, the New Zealand Sea,tnen’s Union, and construcItion workers. • Wage cut? More than 200 Auckland; watersiders might have to ac-1 cept a wage cut tomorrow if i the dispute was not settled. The watersiders had been paid for standing by four idle British ships since the dispute began. j It is understood the British shipping lines have been absorbing up to about ! $26,000 a day in unproductive! waterfront labour bills by| having 12 gangs of water-' siders stand by four of the! five ships affected by the! dispute. ■ About 125 watersiders at! Bluff lost work on board an-! !other British freighter at that port today, after the crew of the Westmoreland established picket lines in support of their Auckland colleagues. Unless the dispute is resolved early tomorrow about 300 tons of meat on the Bluff wharf will have to be returned to suppliers. Seamen on the Westmoreland refused this morning to remove a picket line to al-!

low Bluff watersiders to load the meat. Fourteen British ships had been drawn into the dispute at ports throughout the country, according to Conference Lines spokesmen in Wellington. Ten of the ships are at Auckland, six of them are inside the port and four at anchor outside. The West|moreland is held up at Bluff, the Manapouri at Dunedin, the Megantic at Port Chalmers, and the Auckland Star at Lyttelton. Meat Board and Dairy Board officials at Wellington say they are not too concerned about the dispute at present.