rich man poor man.......

[John Gill]

Working for Cunard out of Liverpool and Southampton in the sixties, about once a week the pursers office was open for business for the purpose of subs for the crew. How those Shylocks calculated wages earned remained a mystery to us all. The question '' how much have I got in the ship'' was always a nervous moment- it was either zero, or more than you expected. Whatever the amount offered always involved snatching the pursers hand off! If you left anything in it would surely disappear by the following sub day. I recall a printed sign that was always in a prominent position on the counter-'Accuracy Is Our Watchword- We Never Make Misteaks.' Seemed to sum it all up.
gilly

[Doc Vernon]

Yep!
From 990 Pounds earned to 390 Pounds Pay Off!
This Guy must have spent a lot ?
Cheers
http://www.rhiw.com/y_mor/morwyr_lly...i/pay_slip.jpg

[happy daze john in oz]

What you earned and waht you paid of with was directly proportional to the amount you subbed. But as we all know overtiem was sometiems paid at normal raste or in some cases not at all. On the Paparoa I did something like 200 hours, asked by the Cheif steward to do extra jobs, pay off amount, overtime zilch, zero, nothing.

[leratty]

Interesting thread, I tried to think if I ever kept any form of running a/c of what I was owed due to earnings + over time less allotments, subs or purchases from slops then tally it with what the pay off slip was. Don't think I ever did too trusting & just glad to get my money. So now wonder what I may have been ripped for. I still have all my pay off slips in storage it might be too late though now i reckon (:

[Tony Wilding]

when i was on SS Borodino, Ellerman Wilsons, my Overtime i signed for was a lot higher than the hours i worked, but the Chief was an Alki,

[Keith Tindell]

i can remember on quite a few ships we submitted our weekly overtime hours, and most mates bunged a couple of hours extra on. On one particular ship the Mate was a real stinker, so on pay off day we all hit him with our loss of sleep hours, which he refused to pay until the union told him he had to pay. probably the only time the union came in useful, KT

[John Arton]

All my seagoing life was spent on Company Contract with an annual salary, paid monthly in arrears. Subs on board were totted up and sent off to head office for deduction at source so your pay chip always showed amongst deductions for tax etc., your on board subs.
Fell seriously into arrears as a cadet on my 2nd trip when I was spending lots of in port time in the Royal Docks, visiting the Talk of The Town, Ronnie Scotts etc. as well as the NEW Gog, Station Hotel etc. as well as kipping with a bonny Irish lass and partying on board. Got that bad that the company told the purser NO MORE SUBS for cadet Arton. That put a kybosh on my social life and I decided that henceforth I would always keep within my earnings. Next trip was out to the B.C. coast so that resolution soon went out of the window.
As Master we had to keep a portage bill going but the O/T was recorded by the guys themselves and then handed to me after the Chief Off. had signed it off, for entering into the portage bill. Most Chief. Offs just signed off the boys overtime sheets without comment and I never challenged them unless you could spot the obvious flog. With such small crews the guys worked their butts off so even the company were not too fussed over overtime levels unless they reached stupid levels. So long as the ship passed all vetting's/surveys etc. and looked o.k. and we had no cargo claims, then they were happy to pay overtime.
rgds
JA
p.s. never got into the saving habit to nay great extent and having seen what the bankers have done to most peoples saving glad I never stashed loads of money away in there schemes.