NO MORE TIN PLATES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 143, 20 June 1939, Page 5

NO MORE TIN PLATES

NEW AWARD FOR SEAMEN

INCREASE IN WAGES ! Per Presa Asawintion.] CHRISTCHURCH, June 17. The crews of trawlers operating from Lyttelton must not eat on tin plates or drink from tin cups as the industrial agreement governing their conditions says so. The new agreement signed the following negotiations between the Federated Seamen’s Union of New Zealand and the Canterbury Steam Trawling Co., Ltd. Wage rates agreed upon, which represent an increase of about 7s 6d per week are as follow: Leading hand on deck (mate), 16 15s; deck hand, 16 ss; firemen, 15 17s 6d. The agreement provides for the living conditions on trawlers. It states that: “Workers shall be provided w’th all necessary eating and drink’-ng utensils of materials other than tinware.” It refers also to such amenities as ‘he provision of soap, towels and a specified amount of bedding. The hours of work while the ship is in port are Io be eight daily between t’he hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Hours for engine-room and stokehold hands while at sea are not to exceed eight daily without payment of overtime. There is also provision Ihat crews are to have fifty hours off in port each week. Commenting on the agreement, Mr. F. P. WalsTi, president of the New Zealand Federated Seamen’s Union, said Ihat it was not as favourable as that recently made at Auckland when tfie wages increase amounted to 14s weekly. ‘‘We are now going to reopen negotiations for the agreement in Wellington,” said Mr. Walsh. “We have made no headway at all during the last twelve months but I feel now that unless the present unreasonable attitude is maintained, Wellington will fall into line with reasonable employers of other ports.”