Striking seamen in Israel today indicated a willingness to end their strike even as the second and third vessels to sail with volunteer crews cleared the port of Haifa,
At a press conference here, representatives of the seamen’s union indicated that they were prepared to end their strike in a matter of hours if the Histadrut would grant the union autonomy within the labor federation set-up for a period of one year and would accept a seamen’s code of regulations approved by the maritime union. On the latter point, the union showed a willingness to negotiate certain paragraphs of the regulations with the Histadrut.
The seamen’s spokesman stressed the dangers involved in permitting the sailing of ships manned by volunteers. The volunteer crews are composed of former sea- men now engaged in other trades who responded to a Histadrut call for volunteers to man struck ships. The seamen emphasized their desire not to leave the Histadrut but wished to straighten out all matters in dispute within the labor federation’s framework.
Also, the spokesman denied a report that the union had appealed to dockworkers abroad to refuse to unload Israel vessels sailed by volunteer crews. He revealed that an American longshoremen’s union had proffered its support to the Israeli union without it being solicited.
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