FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF SEAMAN STRIKE

That this House commemorates the 50th anniversary of the National Union of Seamen (NUS) strike for a 40-hour working week and an increase in monthly pay to £60 or around £780 by 2016 prices; notes that the stoppage lasted 47 days and involved over 26,000 seafarers on nearly 1,000 ships across the globe; further notes that regional NUS officials were subject to covert state surveillance during the dispute which was only concluded by the introduction of emergency legislation; recognises that NUS members who took strike action in 1966 achieved a shorter working week, better pay and democratisation of their union; notes that the NUS's successor, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, continues to campaign for employment, equality and safety improvements for UK seafarers; is concerned that a 72-hour working week is legal for seafarers; is appalled that shipping companies in the UK pay seafarers as little as £2.25 an hour; and calls on the Government to remember the 1966 NUS strike through effective enforcement of the national minimum wage in the UK shipping industry.