Many of their wives never knew what happened to them, and their children grew up believing they had been abandoned. This was in contrast to the Chinese crew, who usually had to serve long periods of nine months. While some of his fellow junior engineers were apprehensive about being seen to be causing trouble, he represented other Chinese crew members on board and took it up with the shipping company’s superintendent. He found out that the British crew were employed under Article A (better pay, shorter sea time, paid study leave, etc), whereas the Chinese crew were employed under Article B (less pay, longer sea time, fewer benefits). Photograph: Courtesy of Gemma ChanWhen I heard this story, it was impossible not to think again of the deported Chinese seamen.

Source: The Guardian January 09, 2022 03:57 UTC