SEAMEN PROTEST AT SLAVE PAY

BY DAVID MAUDE . . The protest of 20 African seamen against pay and conditions aboard two Greek freighters this week again focused attention on the multiple hazards facing this section of workers.

It also brought to light the way the Tory government has worked both to hamstring international trade union action on any foreign seaman's behalf and to deny him any hope he may previously • have had of redress in the British courts.

About three weeks ago the "Aegis Power, 9,442 tons, docked at Avonmouth, Bristol. As soon as it did so, ten crew members went to the local office of the National Union of Seamen and saw full-time official Derek Tedder.

The men's complaint was that they were earning about a quarter of what they should have been, that they were owed a great deal of back pay and that they had been forced to give up important from the 'Aegis Power', they would not accept the company offer. They said they believed they would be in very serious trouble' . on an Aegis ship once it left British waters.

London shipping agent T. Niotis, who handles the British end of the Aegis operation, said he could not understand this. 'Conditions on all our ships are good and fair' , he said "lad thrapay is certainly not He added: 'We are as concerned as anyone, more so, to sort out this trouble and shall keep doing our best to settle the men's worries and convince them to allow us to take them home. But I also think we are dealing with troublemakers here, ringleaders of groups of men who would never be satisfied.' But Derek Tedder, who has seen the men's contracts, tells a different story.

'The men on the "Aegis Power" were earning between £20 and £30 a month', he said 'On the "Aegis Honour" rates started as low as £10 and went up to £40. They had all signed contracts giving away all their 'On top of the slave rates of pay, they had 25 per cent of their wages for the first eight months of their employment held back from them. This, according to the contracts, was to provide for any fines that might be levied against them by the master.

'In fact, a great many of the men said they were owed a great deal of back pay. Some men who had been to sea for 13 years were getting only about £40 a month' John Prescott, the NUSsponsored MP for Hull East, told Workers Press earlier this week that the men should have been earning at least £85 a month. He said this was four times as much as most of them were getting.

He added: Tast year Top: John Prescott, NUS-sponsored MP for Hull East, points out the seamen should be getting at least £85 a month.

Tory government changed the law so that disputes over seamen's wages from a number of countries-five in all, I think —could no longer be taken before the British courts.

'Among the countries affected in this way were Greece and Spain, but when Albert Booth MP and myself opposed this on the grounds of what chance of justice had seamen in these countries we were slapped down.

I was continually told by the Speaker, Harvey Anderson it was, that "You can't pass judgement here on the affairs of another country"'