CREW WALKS OFF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26478, 4 June 1947, Page 4

CREW WALKS OFF

THE FREIGHTER DEVON COMPLAINTS ABOUT FOOD SYMPATHY of watersiders PA. INVERCARGILL, June 3. About 40 members of the crew and officers of the Federal Steam Navigation Company’s Devon left the vessel at Bluff this morning and it was not until 7 o’clock this evening that they returned. The men took action as a protest against the alleged poor quality of the food on the ship. They were determined not to go on board again until they had received ail assurance from Captain B. Evans that the quality and quantity of the food would he improved. After negotiations which lasted 10 hours, their demands were met. The men said that they wished to make it clear that they had no complaints against -the company. One man said the food had been extremely poor in quality for several months. On the 32 days’ voyage from Britain, they had received green vegetables on only eight occasions. The captain had promised an improvement when representations were made to him before the ship reached Auckland. The ship had been on the New Zealand coast since March 18 and now, at Bluff, the last port of call, no change having been made, the men had decided to take matters into their own hands. When the men walked off the ship, they left n donkeyman, a greaser and others to ensure the refrigerating machinery running for the cargo ali%ady in the holds. The men’s action was followed by a stop-work meeting of the Bluff Watersiders’ Union which decided to cease loading the Devon in sympathy with the men’s demands. The Invercargill agents of the company asked the men to return, but they refused and at 2.30 p.m. the agent and representatives of the watersiders and the officers and crew decided to ask Captain Evans to meet the strikers on the wharf. The master refused to do so. It is understood that Captain Evans then got in touch with the company’s office at Wellington, and after a conversation with the manager, he agreed to address the men on the wharf. At 6 o’clock, a spokesman for the men met Captain Evans and said the men would not sign off the ship at London until they had reached a satisfactory agreement with the company. The men also demanded better food. Captain Evans agreed to the demands and the men boarded the ship. Later, the men expressed appreciation of the watersiders’ support and work was resumed by watersiders at 7 o’clock. It was expected that the rest of the Devon’s cargo of frozen meat would take about six hours to load, and that the dispute will not delay the departure of the vessel, which will sail to-morrow afternoon for London via Panama.