From memory before the strike we where on a 56 hour week and used to get extra leave for each weekend at sea when we signed of. The other one was we would get another hours overtime if we went one minute past the hour. Many a time we would be tying up with one eye on the drum end and the other on the watch and the mate on duty would be pushing us to finish. It was always a wonder how the bridge clock was slower than our watches every time. Still maintain that if the crew levels had stayed the same and maintainance was carried out as much as we used to that the shipping companies would save heaps because the ships would be well looked after. Much the same as your car if you do not do services on it then it will not last and replacing parts that are not serviced are a lot more. I still think that the strike was engineered to reduce crews.
That's the way the mop flops.
My thanks to Brian for this site.