BRITISH SEAMEN ASK N.Z. CONDITIONS ON CHARTERED SHIP

Grey River Argus, 20 May 1947, Page 4

BRITISH SEAMEN ASK N.Z. CONDITIONS ON CHARTERED SHIP

Vessel in the N.Z. Coastwise Trade P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, May 19. Though she was ready to sail at 2 p.m. last Sunday, with a general cargo of 6000 tons, including a quantity of potatoes, which are semi-perishabie goods the British motor-vessel "Ambassador” is still at Lyttelton. The hold-up is being caused by the demand of the crew that their conditions should be the same as those on New Zealand ships. The Ambassador has been on the inter-Colonial service for some months. She is now under charter to the Union Company, which has placed her on the coastal run to assist in the cargo trade between New Zealand ports.

The vessel has been a fortnight in Lyttelton, loading, after a call at Timaru. The full loading was finished at noon on Saturday, and the vessel was ready to sail when the * demands for New Zealand seamen’s wages and conditions were made. Although no official information was available at either Lyttelton or Christchurch to-day, it was stated that most of the officers and the engineers were prepared to take the vessel to sea, but that thirteen members of the crew, nine in the deck department, and four in the engineroom, refused to sail, unless their demands were complied with. No settlement was reached to-day in negotiations between the Lyttelton branch of the Seamen’s Union (which is handling the dispute for the British seamen), and the charterers of the vessel. The demands have been referred to the owners of the Ambassador, in London.

GO-SLOW. DUNEDIN, May 19. As a protest to emphasise grievances, Port Chalmers waterside workers working on one hold of the steamer Cornwall adopted a "goslow” policy for one day last week. In ten hours’ loading the gang packed 30 bales of sheepskins into the ship, compared with a normal average of 400 bales. When the Cornwall sailed last she had been on the coast for more than three months.