French Seamen

Maoriland Worker, Volume 12, Issue 293, 11 October 1922, Page 15

French Seamen

When the International Seamen's Congress in Paris rejected the French delegates' cleinand for international action to enforce the eighthour day for seamen recommended in the Washington Labour Convention, the French Seamen's Federation decided io withdraw from, the International Seamen's Federation, presided Over, by Mr. Havelock Wilson, M.P. In a manifesto announcing this decision, the National Council of the French Seamen declared that the socalled Seamen'g International was. reduced to four organisations only—the British, the French, the American, and Swedes—of which two only, the French and the British, had any numerical importance. The Seamen's Federations of Norway, Italy, Holland, Belgium and Finland have either resigned or lapsed from membership of the International as it tvas constituted in 1021.

TJie French Seamen claim that any puch international demand as that Cor the eight-hour hay should be enforced by the Seamen's International collectively and should not be left to the French alone to enforce. They decided, therefore, to organise a new seamen's international congress, which shall be open to all seamen's organisations "of whatever grade or character." A delegation of French, seamen saw M. Foineare Hater, and urged, that any losses incurred by the French ship-, owners 'owing, to the eight-hour day for seamen should be met by a state subsidy until normal conditions return, and not by the suspension of the eight-hour day law. (M. Poincare promised to consult his fellow ministers on the subject. The cables appearing recently in. Vac N.Z. press have given us/information about Poincare's decision—lie suspended the eight-liour law in, favour of a 12-hour day. The strike of the French seamen, according: to later cables, seems to hare compelled scv--era! of the employers to revert to th« eight-hour eyntwn, l v