Seamen’s jobs scarce from lack of trade

Press, 17 January 1979, Page 6

Seamen’s jobs scarce from lack of trade

PA Wellington! About 2000 seamen after the same job in a ship have lodged their applications with the Seamen’s Union. These are men who have (been replaced by automation or made jobless by the dwindling involvement of New Zealand’s maritime industry in international trade. The national secretary of the Seamen’s Union (Mr J. Woods) said yesterday that the number of applicants for jobs was greater than the existing union membership! of about 1450. The situation will worsen! when the new automated bulk carrier Golden Bay; comes into service in mid-; year to replace the twoi Golden Bay Cement Com-[ pany’s conventional carriers' John Wilson and Ligar Bay. ;

The Golden Bay will require fewer crew than either one of the existing con-

ventional carriers, Mr Woods said.

“There is nothing we can do about it. We cannot fight automation,” he said. Mr Woods said that unless the New Zealand maritime industry became further involved in international trade, sea-going jobs for New Zealanders would cease. “New Zealand is one of the world’s biggest exporting nations for its size. But there is not one New Zealand ship or foreign vessel trading directly between New Zealand and North America that has a New Zealand crew.

“The only employment open for New Zealanders in the Japan trade is available only because of an agreement between the United Kingdom maritime unions and a British company. “That agreement provides 'that the Aotea will be manned by the New Zealand

Cooks and Stewards’ Union and the New Zealand Seamen’s Union, with one-third of the officers from New Zealand. “Only the one conventional vessel Waitangi, owned by the New Zealand Shipping Corporation, is manned by New’ Zealanders,” Mr Woods said. “Manning of the other corporation ships is done outside New Zealand.

“The cement industry was the last area where we had conventional ships. Now modernisation is replacing two ships with one,” Mr Woods said.

New Zealand should study' the advantages of having its own ships handling foreign trade, he said. These advantages involved great savings in foreign exchange and the resulting boost to the ship repair industry and associated industries.

“It was claimed that the 'reason for manning outside of New Zealand was the high cost of labour in this country. That is something which can no longer be held as valid,” Mr Woods said.