MARITIME DISPUTE

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11773, 8 March 1924, Page 2

MARITIME DISPUTE

THE UNION’S CLAIMS WORKJNG CONDITIONS AND WAGES DEALT WITH. OBJECTIONS BY COMPANIES. The hearing 1 of the maritime dispute was continued before the Arbitration Court yesterday, when Mr Young, the seamen'’s representative, put the union's claims. He asserted -that the union had been consistent throughout in its demands, whereas the claims of the owners had varied* very materially from those they had put forward only sixteen months ago. WORKING CONDITIONS. Various aspects of the men's waking conditions were dealt with by Mr Young, who ol aimed, under the heading of limited period of employment, that where a man was employed for a period, less than one month and was discharged for reasons other than his own fault, his wages should be, if a deck hand, 15s 4d per day; ordinary seamen, 11s 4d per day; ' engine-room or stokehold hand, 17s 4d per day. In connection with lightering, it was claimed that when a seaman was employed at lightering frozen meat, wool, or tallow to a ship in a roadstead, his wages and overtime should be made equal to those payable to waterside workers. The Union asked that where a ship on New Zealand articles was wrecked, the seamen, where not working by the vessel, should be returned by the first available ship to the port in Australasia where they first joined, and the cost of their maintenance and wages should be paid by the shipowners until the date on which they should, in due course, arrive at the port of shipment, , ' OVERTIME. m The union that when a vessel left port on any Sunday or holiday each member of the crew should be paid an extra day's sea pay, . All work in port on Sundays and holidays to be paid for at the schedule overtime rates. This clause was strongly- opposed Mr B. L. Hammond, who; said that it would be especially prejudicial to the interests of the Northern Steamship Company, which he represented. He maintained that a master was entitled to set watches three hours before the sailing of the ship, and that no overtime need be paid during that time. The impression had got abroad that this point had been waived by the' employers in the Conciliation CoundU, and he had been taken to task over it by the Northern Company. WAGES. The union asked that the following rates of wages .should be paid:—Boatswain, Us 8a; A.B.'s, Us 8d; quarter* master, Us; donkeyman, 13s; greaser, 12s 4d; firemen-greasers, life 8d; firemen, 12s 4d; trimmers, Us. • When a vessel was employed on an excursion or special work on a Sunday or a holiday, each member of the crew should be paid 2s per hour, with a minimum payment of ss. In the evaac of men (being ordered on board for the purpose of an excursion, and v the vessel not proceeding, each member of + he crew should be paid a minimum of Bs.