P.M. Will Meet Seamen’s Union

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31087, 16 June 1966, Page 15

P.M. Will Meet Seamen’s Union

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter —Copyright) LONDON, June 15. Mr Harold Wilson will meet the British seamen’s union leaders today in an effort to end their four-week strike. Mr Wilson sent his invitation last night and the general secretary of the seamen’s union, Mr Bill Hogarth, told reporters the union had accepted.

“We have always said we are willing to talk,” he said. Talks yesterday between Government and trade union leaders failed to break the deadlock in the strike.

Mr Wilson and the Labour Minister, Mr Ray Gunter, told officials of the Trade Union Congress at a two-hour meeting yesterday that they were sticking by the peace formula proposed by an independent court of inquiry into the dispute. This would bring the 62,000 seamen’s working week down from 56 to 40 hours over a 12-month period. The men are holding out for an immediate 40-hour week. The T.U.C. general secretary, Mr George Woodcock, said after the talks: T.U.C. Talks “The Government are not in a mood to make any tremendous advance. They think the recommendations of the inquiry are the furthest anyone can go at the moment. “There appears to be no room to move.”

But he still hoped for a settlement by discussions.

The strike continued to tie up shipping and delay passengers and exports today. Bid By Seamen Meanwhile the leader of the striking seamen last night launched his first direct settlement bid since the strike started. Mr William Hogarth, general secretary of the sea-

men’s union, told a press conference there was “room for manouevre” over the question of overtime in the seamen’s claim for an immediate 40hour week. He said overtime working could be drastically trimmed so that the cost to shipowners of reducing the seamen’s working week by 16 hours need not amount to the 17 per . cent pay rise the employers say it would mean.