GOVERNMENT STEAMERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2943, 1 December 1916, Page 10

GOVERNMENT STEAMERS

5 SEAMEN'S UNION COMPLAINS. , The question of the conditions of > labour on Government ships was raised by Mr. \V. T. Young, in the course of , his remarks at a deputation to the | Hon. Dr. M'Nab yesterday. Mr. Young said that when the late Mr. Laurenson was in office as Minister of Marino the union entered into an agreement with him regarding the conditions of work on Government ships. These conditions were rather better than wore given to seamen on other ships. When the big strike occurred Mr. Fisher was in office, and because the men exercised their right to leave the ship after 24 hours' notice the Minister, through the Secretary of Marine, advised the union that the agreed, ment was terminated. This applied to the Hinemoa and the Tntanekai. The the Amokura was cancelled by. tho Minister- because a member of tho union'deserted the ship at' Port Chalmers. Since then the men had been given superannuation privileges, and could not leave without giving a mouth's notice. The union asked that tho old agreement be restored, with such other concessions as bad been given to the men under the present I arrangement. He said that he had inI terviewed most of tho men affected,, and they had told bim that they would stand by tho union in this matter. Mr. Young asked tho Minister to accept his assurance that he was not putting.this forward as a threat, but merely statin<r a fact.iTlin same demand was made by°Mr W. Bobber. * Dr. M'Nab said that when he came into office he found th K t among the instructions to officers of the Government ships wan one requiring all men taken on to sever eonnectioi v with the union. Of that instruction he did not approve, and it had always, been a dead letter. In other respects the men did not suffer by being on Government sbips. He had written to the secretary of the union saying that the instruction was no longer in force, thut the aim would be.to get the bost men available, whether unionists or not, and that no pressure should be put upon them to leave the union or join the union. This was ; the decision of the Government on the-matter. He was not prepared to agree that membership of tno, union should become a. condition of employment on Government steamers.