The demise of the red duster

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Keith.
I have posted this before, When I was emigrating to NZ back in 57 I was stopped at the gangway of the Southern Cross by two taxation officers, they said I owed the tax office 76 pounds, I said I couldn't have as it was all taken out of the pay on payoff, and I have all my shipping pay slips in my case, they said tax on Sundays at sea where not taken out, I couldn't argue as they were in my cases somewhere on board, anyway I had to cough up or they wouldn't let me board the ship.. I often wondered if they where con men , then realized that they were, from the Govt .
Des

[j.sabourn]

#19 many had their suspicions Keith apart from politicians in the know also the media. The seamen themselves unless they were of a studious nature were kept in the dark. They took the brunt of the hardships that followed by being on strike. I sat it out in Port Talbot and many had to be smuggled back on board before the strike ended as were destitute. To me the strike achieved nothing apart from many good seafarers never coming back into the industry , following this not too long after was the demanning of ships another keep in the dark job, and they have the affrontery to talk about safety. All achieved by people with little or no knowledge of the work achieved in the British Merchant Service. Today the results are there for all to see. Cheers JS.

[j.sabourn]

#22 Are you sure it wasn’t a couple of hard men sent by the manager of your local for the unpaid going away party you threw the night before Des ? . JS