62-HOUR WEEK

Grey River Argus, 19 October 1936, Page 5

62-HOUR WEEK

For Seamen TURNED DOWN EY BOSSES AT GENEVA. (Aus. & N.Z. CabU Assn.) (Received October 18 at 6.30 p.m.) GENEVA, October 17. The Maritime Conference Committee discussed a Swedish proposal for a 56hour week, with a maximum _of six additional hours for deck ratings in vessels of a mininmum tonnage of two thousand. The French and American employers accepted the proposal, but they were alone. The other employers refused to participate any further when the proposal was adopted as a basis of discussion. Mr Jenkins, the Assistant Secretary of the British Board of Trade, said that Britain would not accept any lower tonnage than 2500. which was the line of demarcation between the two watch and the three watch systems. He said Britain would accept a 56-hour working week for deck hands with an additional eight hours. Britain was aiming at a three-watch system on this basis for the ships not exceeding 2500 tons. India, Japan and Poland generally supported Britain.