Shipping Federation

[Mike Hall]

In days gone by we used to go to the Shipping Federation for our jobs on the ships.

How do seamen get their jobs now.?

[j.sabourn]

#1 from 1966 to 1971 I got mine from the public library via Lloyds list for a couple and from there usually by word of mouth mainly foreign flag. JS

[J Gowers]

I was given Denholms name by a friend in late 1973 and was with them ten years , never used the Pool (federation) except for getting my medical and discharge book. Later I moved to Northern Marine again got the name by word of mouth from a friend. I got made redundant by them and then read the MN newspaper I think it was called the Telegraph but not sure if that was the name and I used to go to Glasgow Nautical college once a week and read the job adverts in the newspaper. I also search Lloydes List in the Sirling Library in Glasgow for shipping companies. I went offshore with Dolphin drilling for a few years in the North Sea in the 80s and got made redundant again so it was back to Glasgow Nautical college looking through the Telegraph and I got a job with BP through Wallems Isle of Man on a Dollar contract. For jobs offshore I would read the Aberdeen Press and Journal again in a public Library.

In the West of Scotland I think anyone wanting to go to sea as a cadet would go through Clyde Marine.

[John Arton]

Mike
Mainly contracted through ship management companies such as northern marine, Clyde shipping etc. some companies such as fishers of barrow still do direct employment.
Rgds
J.A

[Johnny Kieran]

Someone I know (next door but one) said he goes straight to the shipping co.
As most are foreign crews these days, it's agencies based abroad that employs them on behalf of the company. Their wages are paid into their bank by the agents at home. This is just what I've been told by crew I've spoken to.

[j.sabourn]

#3/That Telegraph was the periodical paper of the MNAOU JG. Later known as Numast . They did a few adverts at times for sea going Jobs more so today I believe. JS

[J Gowers]

JS that was the paper. When I was employed by Wallems on BP tankers 1986 everyone on the ship was on a dollar contract and they still had white crew on some of their vessels so I opened a dollar bank account in the Isle of Man and the wages were paid directly into that. I took out cash when required or when the exchange rate was good. Had to get a tax accountant to sort out what I had to pay the Government in tax, I used a company called Seatax from Doncaster who were very good, I also used them 15 years later when I was on a dollar contract of drilling rigs.
The funny thing was I left Denholms in 1984 because they were going over to that system only to join a different company under similar terms two years later.

[j.sabourn]

#7 Another one of my mistakes For MNAOU read MNAOA being gentlemen it was an Association not a Union but the same to all intents and purposes.,I as a complimentary member from the age of 16. JS
I believe I was if not the first member to receive the Numast Award in 1991 then in the first five. However whether it still exists or not can’t find out as all my queries about it get no response from anyone . JS

[Des Jenkins]

Hi Mike.
I got my ships from the shipping Fed but my last one in 56 a small coastal tanker I got, for some reason at the Labour exchange in Middlesbrough, they said that or the Army, as I was waiting to immigrate to NZ it was a great little job .
Cheers Des

[j.sabourn]

I took one job through miss Silver A shipping crewing agency in Liverpool,.Her question on applying was asking what you expected your earnings to be , so I told her, then I asked what her fee was for supplying a body to a shipowner and her answer was that she received as a fee from the owner the equivilant to 1 months earnings of your salary which the shipowner paid to her.i have no arguments with her apart from she said it was costing her a fortune in overseas phone calls, she did get what I asked for , it wasn’t her fault that the shipowner was a chancer The poor old Chinese coming through Hong Kong and some of the shylocks there were in debt when they joined as they had to pay the Agency back it was either 1 or 2 months salary. JS