The demise of Merchant Seamen.

[Captain Kong]

If I hadn't gone to sea I would have died after a miserable boring life amongst shore people in a mill or factory .
That is why I go cruising around the planet every year until the money runs out then it will be time to go.
When the money runs out I will rob a bank. If I don't get caught I will carry on cruising, if I do get caught it doesn't matter, I will get free dental treatment, free opticians, instant medical treatment, three meals a day, free laundry, No Council tax to pay, No electric bills to pay , No Gas Bill to pay. No water bill to pay, play Pool all day, a gym to work out in, and my kids can still visit me. and maybe with a bit of luck a nice young lady Social Worker will visit me. And they cannot take my memories off me. and with a computer in there I can still keep in touch on this site,
Brian

[Jim Brady]

Hi Jim how is he doing .hes not on the web so I don't hear from him directly ,only at Christmas when we exchange cards ,and some of the lads that go to the eldonian drop a line some times ,mainly about an old shipmate passing and making a last trip down the Mersey . tell him I was asking of him ,some good old times together. Nev.

Hi Neville,I have only been to the Eldonian a few times,I thought I would try it for a couple of weeks and if I'm happy with it then I will join up.I was sitting by a John Dee who at one time was on this site,he said is Neville still on the site when I said yes he pointed out Steve and said he was one of Nevilles mates.I was at the bar the same time as Steve so I got talking to him about this site and yourself.He was telling me about the crowd of you that shipped out together and also about working with you in the States.I hope to go there next week so I will mention that I had had a word with you so to speak.Talking of an old ship mate passing and doing his last trip down the Mersey they mentioned scattering of the ashes off the ferry next week of Arthur Timmins,I wonder is that Timmo who I think was a tourist winger in CPR,did you know him?
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Ian Barker]

people ask me now. What is the merchant navy. I just look at them and say you will never know??

[John Pruden]

talking to an old engineer last November he was 92 and he was annoyed about white boiler suits as worn today and the engines practically run from the bridge he was fuming about it?i let him rant for about half an hour although I know nothing about what went on down there but the passion in which he expressed the work now that to me was a man who loved his work? but now its just a job very little shore time checking bottle screws making sure refrigerated containers are cold enough the only seamanship as regards the deck department is tying up letting go and possibly dropping the hook that to me is just a job? once the containers came out so did the seamanship? when you think a cargo boat was self sufficient loading discharging it had it all. now its slot a box in a hold a bit like leggo?jp

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
I had left the British MN for the NZ MN when this bloke road the roost,so didn't know a great deal about him other than what I've read. But one man shouldn't be allowed to destroy the memories of the Merchant Navy. We all dislike someone or other in our lives but I'm sure the people attending the Royal Mail Group's tribute to the merchant Navy, will know of his black achievements and may respond accordingly. Let's hope so anyway.
Cheers Des

[Richard Quartermaine]

The best days of my life were from 1947 to 1953. Port line and Shaw Saville from January '47 to March 48 and then as my repatriation got me back to Sydney I was on Oz ships to October 1949. A completely different ball game. All jobs were allocated by the union. Unless you were at least financial three months in advance you didn't work! Then you made sure that a present was given to the secretary so he could decide what sort of ship and job you should get. Eighteen months was enough for this lad, In disgust I was back on Port Line and tore up my repatriation paper.

I know what good has been done to curb the excesses of the employers over the century plus, but that eighteen months will not be erased. We have today been informed that Bill Shorten, who was head of the Australian union movement before lining up at the government trough, has been elected by his newly ousted Party as leader. Oh yes, Mum in law is our Governor General!

Richard

[j.sabourn]

Richard I can certainly see your point of view. It was the other way round for me. I did not go head to head with the Australian Unions until 1991. By this time British Shipping was practically non existent. If you saw some of the jobs I had to take the same as others, most self respecting seafarers would have knocked back of this type of vessel, as like a 3rd. world vessel in many cases. Changing this for Australian conditions was like Hollywood. By this year long after the time you talk about I suppose the demands of the Union were slightly less, to me however they were excessive and they got away with it. 3 for a 6 day run job to Singapore which was a holiday run, and to top it off 100 dollars a day subsistence and a top hotel with all meals etc. Some of these conditions do not apply now as believe their power has slowly disappeared to a certain extent. It being a closed shop if I remember correctly 5 percent of your salary went to union you were in permanent employment, I found working on a casual basis was better as you only paid 2 per cent and got a 25 per cent loading on wages. However I have no guilty conscience on accepting the excellent conditions Australia offered,it certainly put British to shame regarding such. Cheers John SabournPS The conditions on the vessels in Offshore work was for myself 31 pounds a day when working, leave forget about it. An AB was on 24 pounds a day and paid all his travelling expenses accommodation if he turned down the Missions to Seamen, and paid all his own course fees.This was on the British side of the equation. The conditions of some of the vessels I leave to your imagination. It was either this or the dole to many a seafarer. JS

[Roger Dyer]

Richard, it seems, the more things change the more they stay the same. Once upon a time, working men prepared for honest toil in order to earn their daily crust, but after years of repressive exploitation, during which wages and conditions altered little (and rarely in favour of the employee) they earned little more than the dismissive contempt of a social class that sought to prosper by the toil of others. It is not surprising that such inequality would spawn the advent of unionism. At the end of WWII, here in Australia, there followed a long period when the excessive use of union power would oversight a steady decline in the industrial health of this country. It was said that certain union 'identities' did very well out of the turmoil that ensued and media disclosures in recent years would tend to support the veracity of such rumours. Right or wrong, the exodus from the unions by the Australian worker has seen union membership dwindle to such a degree that, in the eyes of many, unions are now of little relevance. Personally, I think it a shame that poor leadership, 'shady' dealings and union mismanagement should result in taking away the voice of the Australian worker. It seems that 'greed' is not a characteristic practiced by the wealthy alone.

At a time when there is genuine need for the Australian Labour Party to regain credibility within the electorate they have chosen to press forward with the same jaded manifesto that engineered their crushing defeat in the recent election.........will they never learn? What they hope to achieve with Shorten at the helm is beyond my comprehension. They should by now be aware that many Labour supporters are no longer enamoured with a Party leadership that remains heavily influenced by a Union Movement that is now representative of just 18% of the Australian workforce. Richard, 'tis mind-boggling !!!......and does not bode well for the middle term future of the Australian Labor Party or the political well-being of the country.


..........................Roger


P.S......with apologies for this deviation from the thread subject.

[j.sabourn]

Very True what you say Roger. reading what I put down was a bit ambiguious in what I said as was in a hurry. I will try and clarify. What I was referring to was the stand by boat industry. The other part of the scenario re the supply and towing I was employed with I have no real grizzle just the cheeseparing at times, however the unions were involved in this part of the Industry. The Australian run jobs should read for a 6 day run one received 3 days R and R in Singapore. Any flight over 5 hours had to have 24 hours in a hotel before joining ship. This is pure luxury which does not exist now as far as I know. The Seamans union used to consist of 5 unions The Guild ( Deck Officers) the Seamans ( Deck) The Catering(Catering) and the Firemans ( Firemans) and the Engineers ( Engineers) You can imagine it was jobs for the boys. On any ship being brought onto the coast here, usually the secretary (usually) from each union was flown by the shipowner all expenses paid to do a ship inspection to see if suitable for an Australian crew.Hey who am I to complain.I may have felt a bit guilty, but could live with it after seeing some of the worse conditions. Why they are called Safety boats made me wonder at times, maybe the H & S should have put its own house in order before dictating to proper seamen. Regards John Sabourn

[Richard Quartermaine]

John and Roger, your response is much appreciated. The need for change was recognised by those valiant men and women who, through immense suffering and hardship brought about that change. Human nature came in to play and the thoughts of power, perks and wealth brought in the glib manipulators who turned the system around to suit their own greedy aspirations to the detriment of the members, population and the national wealth.

You cannot fool all of the workers all of the time and this is evidenced by the 82% who have jumped ship, but it would be an interesting exercise to discover how many of the electorate, through direct voting and preferences, find working for a living abhorrent.

Richard