Sailors’ Wages in Eight North Sea Ports, 1863-1900

In his article “Around the Rim: Seamen's Wages in North Sea Ports, 1863-1900,” Lewis R. Fischer challenged the notion that North Sea ports comprised an integrated maritime labour market. Fischer's analysis was based on a data set of 75,556 monthly wage agreements for able-bodied seamen (ABs) who joined sailing vessels in London, Dunkerque, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Tonsberg between 1863 and 1900. These showed that convergence between levels of pay was erratic and short-lived (see table 1). Only in the early 1880s and early 1890s did wage levels in the eight ports converge; in other years they varied considerably. Dunkerque and Tonsberg - and for almost half the time Gothenburg as well - generally paid less than London, while Hamburg and Rotterdam provided relatively high remuneration for most of the period. Fischer concluded that the lack of convergence refuted any thesis of increased integration of maritime labour markets around the North Sea.

The considerable variation in wage levels between the ports prompts new questions. If there was no international convergence, what about national trends? Did shipowners and seamen take advantage of the variations and, if so, what does this tell us? From a Danish perspective, one interesting point in Fischer's data is that Copenhagen from 1893 until the end of the century was the port with the highest pay. This paper attempts to explain why this was so. To do this we analyze the demand side of the wage problem a little further, first within Fischer's North Sea context and then with special reference to Denmark, establishing a wage series for provincial ports. To broaden the concept of the maritime labour market, we then compare our findings with data for the booming fishery. Finally, we discuss whether there was a single Danish maritime labour market and suggest some directions for further research.

The Merchant Marine in Eight North Sea Nations, 1880-1900

Wages reflect the convergence of the supply and demand of labour and the relative bargaining power of employers and workers. The first industrial action for higher wages on Danish ships occurred in 1890, but the battle was lost.