Condor Ferries.

[cappy]

the majority of people on this site would probably agree that a seamans wage was never a great source of income havingsaid that how many of us went to sea for the wages paid certainly not many in the 50s and later the problem for white crews came when the difference between the wages of britsh and foriegncrews grew very quickly in the late 50s and60s this of course due to the communists getting control of the sssssssseamans union slater in shields shouting we will get you 200 pounds aweek lads whenan abs wage was under 60 amonth if there was any profit in shipping for thetramp ships that disappeared the Russian ships filled pots all over the world the colliers that 3 generations of my family had worked on went cos the cost of susidisingthe miners made coal not profitable so to me the cause of decline in the british merchant navy was caused by the seamans union and the holding to ransom of the country by unions in general demanding to muchfor members if there was profit for ship owners there would still be jobs for seaman employment is caused by supply and demand regards cappy I await at least a reply from my old mate

[happy daze john in oz]

Going to sae for the wage was something I never considered. We were paid at the end of a voyage and as long as I could buy what I required I never thought about it. Most went on grog, loose women, smokes and the rest was most likely wasted somewhere along the line.

[robpage]

Out of interest , and the fact that I was on one of the first Ex-Portsmouth to anywhere ferries , and local , I looked this up to see where the protest was to date . The only press I could find was from Ukraine Today in Last July (2012 ) .

A UK labor union is attacking Condor Ferries for its admitted policy of paying Ukrainian crew less than 25% of what it pays European Union workers

PORTSMOUTH, UK, July 23, 2012 (UBO) – Condor Ferries, a major operator of ferry services between mainland England and the Channel Islands, between England and France, and between France and the Channel Islands, is the subject of a labor dispute that centers on Condor’s salary scale for Ukrainian sailors, who are paid less than 25% of the amount paid to sailors who are citizens of the European Union.

Approximately 40 union members held a two-hour protest in Portsmouth on the UK’s south coast on Saturday morning with representatives from the RMT, Portsmouth City Unison and Portsmouth Trades Council among them, BBC reported.

The protest leader, commonly known as the RMT, is the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, which claims to be Britain's fastest growing trade union, representing more than 80,000 members in almost every sector of the transport industry.

The RMT union said the Channel Island ferry operator was using legal loopholes to pay Ukrainian crew just £2.35 an hour.

The ferry line admitted that some of its crew were paid the amount claimed by the union but also claimed that the amount paid amounted to four times what the Ukrainian sailors would have received as the average wage in Ukraine. The ferry line also said that about 90% of its crews are recruited within the European Union.

Condor Ferries managing director Ken Soar told BBC that he respected the right of members to protest and added: “Condor Ferries is a diligent and concerned employer and we take care that all our employees are trained to the highest standards, work in safe conditions and receive competitive wages.

"A small minority of crew who live aboard our conventional freight ferries are recruited from Ukraine.

"The rate of pay referred to only applies to the entry level crew members and we are concerned that the situation is being distorted for political reasons.

"All of our Ukrainian crew benefit from free transport to and from Ukraine, comprehensive medical and dental cover, while all food and lodging during their 12-week stay on board is provided without deductions."

John Woods, representing the Portsmouth Trades Council, said the union find’s Condor’s policies unacceptable and added: "Condor should pay industry standards for the UK.

"It's not an acceptable argument that workers supposedly get paid more than they would back in Ukraine.

"Unions will continue to raise awareness of this issue and further action is planned to continue campaigning on behalf of the affected workforce."

So I looked up who John Woods is , He is the Media Officer for the Portsmouth Trades Council , local Chair of Unison , ex Socialist Alliance supporter , that was the left wing mix of Trotskyists and marxists who felt the world needed the Left wing of politics . I can honestly say this has never been reported or supported locally except by the left wing fringes . Politics not unionism , sad , we fight for the minority opinion , never justice .