§ 31. Major WHELERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether some dissatisfaction still exists amongst yardcraftmen at Sheerness in respect to their hours of work and the wages they receive; that in reality they are at work all day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and often have to remain on board till the following morning; and whether, in these circumstances, he can see his way to place them with regard to wages on the same footing as yardcraftmen employed in the private firms?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAAlthough yardcraftmen are sometimes required to be at work from 7 in the morning to 6 in the evening, this is not the rule, and in cases where these seafaring ratings are required to sleep on board their vessels for more than four nights in a week they are allowed extra pay. As I indicated in the answer which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member in reply to a question on the same subject on the 7th July last, I do not think that if the conditions of service in the dockyard tugs are surveyed as a whole they would compare unfavourably with those existing in the case of private employers, especially when such considerations as permanence of employment, prospect of establishment, and allowances for particular duties are taken into account.
§ Sir CLEMENT KINLOCH-COOKEIs not the right hon. Gentleman aware that this comparison is wrong, and that private people are paying more?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAYes, but if my hon. Friend will take other matters, such as permanent employment, into consideration, I think he will come to the conclusion that they are not badly off comparatively.