fairness at work - Maritime Union of New Zealand

Transcription

The
Issue 23 • October 2008
Maritimes
Magazine of the Maritime Union of New Zealand
ISSN 1176-3418
FAIRNESS AT WORK
Worth Voting For
www.munz.org.nz The Maritimes | October 2008 | Tax Cuts for
Millionaire$
Wage Cuts
for YOU
Don’t vote National.
Authorized by Trevor Hanson, Maritime Union of New Zealand, 220 Willis Street, Wellington
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
| The Maritimes | October 2008
www.munz.org.nz
EDITORIAL
Financial parasites have
created economic disaster
Edition 23, October 2008
Contents
Editorial and contents
General Secretary’s report
Update from National President
West Australia offshore
MUNZ–EPMU offshore alliance
Bus Lockout
News
Box nets
ITF Stockholm Meeting
Maritime training in Europe
Bear with a sore tooth
Ten years on
ITF New Zealand
Flags of Convenience
Night Shift
Free market future
Election 2008
ITF offshore
Higher wages
Free trade threat
Cuban Five
Letters
Port roundups
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
12
14
16
17
18
20
22
23
24
26
27
28
30
31
32
Gangway nets page 10
ITF inspections page 18
‘The Maritimes’ is published quarterly by
the Maritime Union of New Zealand.
ISSN 1176-3418
National Office:
PO Box 27004
Wellington
New Zealand
Telephone: 04 3850 792
Fax: 04 3848 766
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.munz.org.nz
Editor:
Victor Billot
Mobile: 021 482219
Fax: 09 9251125
Mail: PO Box 339, Dunedin
New Zealand
Editorial Board:
Trevor Hanson, Phil Adams, Garry Parsloe
and Russell Mayn
Deadline for all Port reports, submissions,
photos and letters:
19 November 2008 for next edition
Cover photo, ITF inspection at Port
Chalmers, from left Port Chalmers
Dunedin Branch MUNZ executive member
Paul Napier, executive member Stuart
Crawford, MUNZ national president Phil
Adams and New Zealand ITF inspector
Grahame MacLaren
For more online photos, see
www.flickr.com/maritimeunion
Thanks to our photographers, including
Luke Appleby, Paul White, Joe Fleetwood,
Dein Ferris, Steve Murray, Garry Parsloe,
Bill Connelly, Victor Billot and others
Contact the
Maritime Union
National Office
Telephone: 04 3850 792
Fax:
04 3848 766
Address: PO Box 27004, Wellington
Office administrator: Ramesh Pathmanathan
General Secretary: Trevor Hanson
Direct dial: 04 8017 614
Mobile:
021 390585
National President: Phil Adams
Mobile: 0274 377601
National Vice President: Garry Parsloe
Mobile: 021 326261
Assistant General Secretary: Russell Mayn
Mobile: 021 760886
ITF Inspector: Grahame MacLaren
Mobile: 021 2921782
Communications Officer: Victor Billot
Mobile:
021 482219
Fax: 09 9251125
Address: PO Box 339, Dunedin
www.munz.org.nz by Victor Billot
The recent shudders going through the global finance system
should not be a surprise to anyone.
The Maritime Union has been critical of the free market, free trade
and deregulation policies that have led the world to the edge of
chaos once again and predicted the outcome.
The policies of deregulation and “leaving it to the market” have
proved failures for the most vulnerable workers even during the
economic upswings, let alone when the inevitable crash arrives.
Now the time of reckoning has come.
The effect on workers here and around the world will be harsh.
We are entering into what may be a time of unprecedented
turmoil and it is likely that unemployment and recession will be
back in New Zealand by the end of the year.
The inherent instability and irrationality of the global capitalist
system has blown apart. The global economy has been run for the
advantage of massive finance corporations driven by one motive:
maximum profit.
In the United States, this came to a head with the “subprime
crisis.” Mortgages were given to people who were likely to have
trouble paying them back, especially if the economy turned for
the worse.
These mortgages were then repackaged up into a range of strange
and obscure ways and sold off down the line to other financiers.
The United States economy has been propped up by the high
speed circulation of paper across desks.
The behaviour of so-called “business leaders” provide a more human insight into the crisis.
Even the corporate media were appalled, as Fortune magazine
awarded “101 dumbest moments in business.”
In one celebrated example, the magazine reported how in August
and September 2007, as his company was “racking up the largest
quarterly loss in its 93-year history, Merrill Lynch CEO Stanley
O’Neal squeezed in 20 rounds of golf, including three rounds on
three different courses in a single day.”
In October 2007, O’Neal announced his retirement. He walked
away with a compensation package valued at $161.5 million. I
suppose he felt he had put in a fair amount of work on the greens.
So much for the bad news. What can we do about it?
The goal for the union movement, both industrially and politically, has to gain control over the economic system so that decisions
are made for the common good.
Unions need to be more assertive.
If we just accept the system as it is and limit our role to trying to
get the best deal possible for ourselves, then we will fail.
Likewise the attitude if we look after our own employer, port or
country, and disregard the fact we are part of a globalized working class bigger and potentially more powerful than ever before.
Unions need to be agents of social change.
The Maritime Union and its historical roots of waterfront workers
and seafarers have a proud history of doing the right thing and
leading the struggle.
We are involved locally, nationally and internationally in the
ongoing battle to set the agenda for the future.
In the 2008 election we have one chance to do that.
We also have a chance everyday on the job to do our part for the
Union by getting involved and being an active unionist.
“They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn,
But without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn.
We can break their haughty power; gain our freedom when we
learn,
That the Union makes us strong.”
(Verse from union anthem Solidarity Forever)
The Maritimes | October 2008 | COMMENT
Make your vote count for working Kiwis
by Trevor Hanson
General Secretary
We are getting very close to our next general election and I am amazed at the "time
for a change" attitude that is being pushed
and shoved and promoted everyday in the
New Zealand media.
What is it that people supposedly want to
“change”?
In my view, a worker is a worker and he
or she sells their labour at the highest rate
they can achieve.
A worker has one priority, and that is to
feed and house their family in the best
way possible.
Race or creed does not come into it and
neither should it. The only way forward
for workers is to speak with a collective
voice, something that our members have
been proud to be part of throughout our
history.
On the international level, we have seen
the emergence of world wide corporations
pushing globalisation for their profitdriven masters.
Free trade has been promoted along with
other policies to divide and rule, and keep
the workers in competition with each other
for the crumbs, while the economic pie is
divided up by managers and employers.
Whether we like it or not, politics are part
of our lives.
Workers in the maritime industry are
as vulnerable as all other New Zealand
workers to changes in the laws and
policies that affect our jobs.
We should carefully examine where we
place our vote.
The parties with a track record of
introducing policies that benefit the social
needs of New Zealanders can really be the
only choice.
Already there is enough evidence from the
National Party to make the average New
Zealand worker extremely apprehensive.
Privatisation of ACC is one such proposal.
Stop and consider the consequences to
yourself after an accident. Every legal
effort will be made to get you off insurance
by both your employer and insurer as soon
as possible.
National has proposed changes to
industrial laws to ensure workers on a site
where a union collective agreement is in
place will not have to belong to the union,
thus undermining all workers.
Changes to allow the sale of annual
holidays have also been proposed.
With living costs soaring, ordinary
workers will be forced to decide between
time with their family or making ends
meet. The well-off can afford to keep their
holidays, but not the common worker.
Many of our freedoms that have been
clawed back since the election of Labour
nine years ago will be removed.
A change of government in the current
world economic climate would be the
worse possible scenario.
National would utilise an economy in
recession to introduce its anti-worker
legislation on the fast track, using the old
cliche TINA (there is no alternative.).
We should be well aware that any
promises by National to keep everything
on its current level will change very soon
after they are elected.
I realise that I am writing this to the
converted, but there are many things that
as maritime workers we can do.
I note with concern and some
understanding the number of young New
Zealanders who are not enrolled to vote.
If any of your family is not enrolled, this is
a good place to start.
Any support and help you can give to
your officials in assisting in the coming
political campaign will be appreciated.
Free trade deals cause concern
The Maritime Union has recently noted
with concern the free trade deal signed
between New Zealand and ASEAN.
ASEAN is a group of South-East Asian
nations including the military dictatorship
of Myanmar.
The new free trade deal will have been
welcomed by the Generals who rule over
Myanmar and crush all opposition.
We have previously spoken out about the
murder of Ko Moe Naung, a Seafarers’
Union of Burma (Myanmar) organizer in
the Ranong region, who was tortured and
killed by Burmese military forces in 2005.
Free trade deals mean that New Zealand
is now effectively endorsing dictatorships
such as Burma which murder our brother
unionists such as Ko Moe Naung.
We oppose free trade and instead support
trading arrangements that take into
account the interests of workers.
Gangway netting
The Maritime Union has a strong policy on
the rigging of gangway nets.
Gangway netting must be slung from the
side of the ship to the opposite side. The
"box rigging" of a gangway net does not
meet the standards.
A 1995 letter from the then Maritime
Safety Authority (now Maritime New
Zealand) and the Harbourmaster at the
Port of Napier to Hawke’s Bay stevedores
and union officials made this clear.
This letter noted that "structural distortion
of the accommodation ladder, for any
reason, could throw persons off the
accommodation ladder."
The Maritime Union agrees entirely.
That’s why we are dismayed that
Maritime New Zealand now seem to
have downgraded the requirements for
gangway netting.
We as workers were as responsible as
anyone else to ensure nets were rigged
appropriately prior to use of gangways.
Within the past two years, gangways have
given way on two vessels at the Port of
Lyttelton.
In both of these incidents the gangway net
was correctly rigged, and the gangway
was prevented from falling between the
ship and the wharf, which could have
disastrous consequences including death
or serious injury.
The Maritime Union has contacted the
government and maritime authorities
over our concerns with gangway netting
practices after it became apparent that
gangway netting requirements had been
softened up.
Ninety per cent of our membership in
New Zealand must traverse gangways to
gain access to their workplace.
Everything possible must be done to
ensure workers safety under legislation,
regulation and enforcement, and as
outlined in the Code of Practice for Health
and Safety in Port Operations on ships in
all New Zealand Ports.
The Maritime Union has made it clear
that if an accident occurs on a gangway
that is rigged (boxed) in a way that allows
persons to fall between a wharf and ship,
we will take legal action against those
responsible – including government
agencies.
In the meantime, we have alerted all
branches and officials to keep an eye on
gangway rigging, and demand that the
correct safe procedure is used, and report
any infringements.
www.munz.org.nz
COMMENT
The way forward is for greater unity
by Phil Adams
National President
International scene
The Maritime Union takes its international
obligations seriously.
Earlier in 2008 a strong delegation of
MUNZ officials and members attended the
MUA conference in Sydney.
More recently officials have attended ITF
meetings in Europe.
As President I will be attending the
conference of the All Japan Dockworkers
Union Zen-Kowan in Tokyo this October.
The international support that maritime
and transport workers can extend to
each other has been a key part in some
of our previous struggles. We have
had solidarity from many other unions
including the Maritime Union of Australia
(MUA), ILWU on the west coast of North
America, and the Japanese and Korean
dockworkers.
In return we offer our assistance for their
industrial problems.
We now live in a globalized world and it
is important that as workers we have a
global and internationalist outlook.
I have also attended a stopwork meeting
of the Wellington branch of the Maritime
Union, and appreciate the invitation.
It is good to see branches holding regular
stopwork meetings, and it is also good to
see Wellington have taken the plunge and
combined seafarers and watersiders into
one branch.
We are now all maritime workers and
although we will always keep the history
and distinctive culture we have as
seafarers or watersiders, the way forward
is for greater unity.
Elections
The 2008 general election is soon.
We need to elect a government that is
worker friendly. The National Party’s
record speaks for itself.
Workers were pounded by a National
Government in the 1990s.
www.munz.org.nz Do we really want to go back to the days
of high unemployment, asset sales and
union bashing?
The current Labour-led Government has
not made enough progress in all areas
but has been responsible for some good
changes.
The removal of the Employment
Contracts Act, the growth in wages and
employment, Kiwisaver, boost in the
minimum wage, and buyback of rail and
ferries have all been good for working
New Zealanders.
Kiwibank and paid parental leave were
good policies pushed by the Alliance in the
first term of the current government, and
more recently the Greens have had some
pro-worker policies.
New Zealand First has had a mixed record
but helped to get the current casualization
review underway, which is a plus.
It is not enough to sit back, as workers we
must take an active role in defending our
interests whether industrial or political.
Make sure your family, friends and
workmates (especially younger people) are
enrolled to vote and know the issues.
Short-term labour from overseas
The Maritime Union is also concerned
about the effects of short-term seasonal
labour being brought into New Zealand
from overseas to work in areas such as
vineyards and orchards.
Our Union represents workers of all races
and creeds and has no problem with
permanent immigrants who get the same
wages and conditions as local workers.
There are several problems with shortterm, casual or seasonal labour.
Firstly, the default wage appears to be
the minimum wage. Some employers are
complaining that they have to pay for
transport and accommodation of their cut
price labour force.
Do they want the workers to pay for it
themselves? Or perhaps employers want
special wage rates for overseas workers
on temporary visas – perhaps wage rates
below our minimum wage?
Employers need to be kept under a close
watch.
The use of imported labour needs to be
regulated to ensure the wellbeing of the
workers from overseas, and to ensure that
local wages and jobs are not undermined.
We would also like to see an investigation
of how the overseas workers are selected
and treated back in their home country.
The potential for corruption and
exploitation is enormous, and we already
know this occurs with fishing workers
recruited overseas.
It is not good enough for self-interested
politicians and bureaucrats to avoid the
tough issues and look the other way.
We have an obligation to all workers in
New Zealand.
So what do fruitpickers have to do with
maritime workers?
Simply put, if short-term casual labour
imported from overseas becomes the norm
in one industry, the vicious cycle will
repeat itself throughout all industries.
If a National Government was to come to
power, they would love to use this system
to further demoralize, deunionize and
casualize New Zealand workers.
Maritime workers have already seen the
effect of Flag of Convenience shipping and
fishing in New Zealand waters.
Overseas, the use of short-term casual
labour in ports around the world is
becoming a major issue and the focus of a
"Ports of Convenience" campaign by the
ITF. We need to be on our guard.
Negotiations
The last several months have seen a
number of agreement negotiations in ports
around the country. In most cases, this can
be a difficult process.
As we move into uncertain economic and
political times, good agreements with
employers are important for us all.
Strong debate within branches about what
we want from agreements is good, but so
is standing together to ensure we get the
best possible deal. A collective approach is
the reason why we succeed.
“A collective
approach is the
reason why we
succeed”
The Maritimes | October 2008 | NEWS
Western Australia Offshore Meeting
by Mike Clark
Wellington Seafarers’ Branch President
I was fortunate to attend the Maritime Union of Australia’s EBA (Enterprise Bargaining Agreement) Conference in Fremantle,
Western Australia, in August 2008.
Along with Wellington Seafarers Branch
Secretary Joe Fleetwood, the other international guests included Stevie Todd,
National Secretary of the UK RMT (Rail
Maritime Transport) Union.
The purpose of attending was twofold.
First was to enable us to see at close hand
the process the MUA use in formalizing
their EBA.
Second was to organize the respective
two international unions, the UK RMT,
and the Maritime Union of New Zealand,
into a formal MOU (Memorandum of
Understanding) with the MUA and various employers in the offshore oil and gas
industry. This will assist with their need
for the supply of skilled seafarers to cover
the current shortage in that industry.
An important part of this coverage is
that any MUNZ or RMT members will
relinquish their position when an Australian seafarer becomes available. They will
maintain their membership in their respective national union and will be required to
pay an administration fee to the MUA as
they will be covered by their EBA.
Another important part of the agreement
is that members might not necessarily end
up in the oil industry but in the blue water
fleet where there is also a shortage – the
offshore industry is not our sole right.
On Monday 25 August the conference
opened with a video of the MUA National
Conference in April 2008.
MUA Assistant National Secretary Mick
Doleman gave a comprehensive report on
the Australian offshore industry, including
the importance of an ongoing relationship
with the Labor Government, industrial
relations legislation, the continuing growth
of the industry, the new employers who
are jumping on the bandwagon, and the
impact of the labour shortage where UK
and New Zealand members are being
brought in.
This was followed by an offshore report
by the MUA Western Australian Secretary
Chris Cain, who explained the development of West Coast ports. He also discussed the shortage of labour in the state,
not only in the seafaring section but also
the infrastructure of the shore-based facilities.
Another important part of the agenda was
the MUA commitment to the training of
young Australians who choose to take on
a career at sea. Chris has had a huge input
in this area to get funding for the MUA to
set up their own training school. The MUA
vision in trying to achieve this goal will
ensure future generations will have the
same opportunities that we have enjoyed
and also educate the next generation in the
need to play a role in their Union.
On Tuesday as well as the EBA conference,
there was a MUA West Australia stopwork
meeting which ran until lunchtime.
This meeting was much the same as our
own, with the only notable difference being the willingness of members to speak
on issues of concern.
The afternoon was taken up with a continuation of the log of claims with questions
and answers on each claim being presented.
The claims are presented in the same
format as our own, although there are a lot
more due to the larger number of vessels
involved.
Once the claims are submitted they are
placed in categories including accommodation (linen, fridges, floor covering
etc), deck, engine room and others such as
travel and expenses.
Wednesday was taken up with more of the
same and then the selection of delegates
for the negotiation of the EBA.
On Thursday and Friday morning the same
process was used but this time it was the
coverage of FPSO (Floating production
storage and offloading facilities), or
“floaters” as they are now more commonly
known.
There were a number of other speakers
throughout the week, including WA
officials.
Will Tracey has spent a considerable
amount of time in the past year organizing
the ROV (remotely operated underwater
vehicle) operators and divers.
Ian Bray spoke about the concerns which
face WA members, including the accelerated growth of the industry, shortage of labour and growth in blue water operations,
fears on downgrading of qualifications,
importation of labour and new operators
bypassing the union.
At the present time approximately 17001800 members, nearly half the seafaring
members of the MUA, are in the offshore.
Maritime Union of New Zealand delegate
Joe Fleetwood and RMT UK delegate Stevie Todd gave a report on their countries.
Throughout the week, Joe, myself, Chris,
Mick and Steve attended other meetings
with employers in the industry.
This was a very important part of the trip
as most of the offshore employers in Australia are the same companies we deal with
in New Zealand.
This was another well-organized Western
Australian conference and we pass on a
huge thank you to the WA branch officials
and staff for the invite to attend. To all the
other officials and delegates, thank you as
well.
www.munz.org.nz
NEWS
OFFSHORE AGREEMENT
Officials from the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, Maritime Union of New Zealand, Maritime Union of Australia and Australian Workers’ Union at the signing of the
Onshore/Offshore Memorandum of Understanding
Memorandum of Understanding between the
EPMU and MUNZ on the Onshore/Offshore
Oil and Gas Industry in New Zealand and its
surrounding oceans and sea.
The NZEPMU and MUNZ agree to cooperation and solidarity in recruiting,
organizing and collective bargaining
activities within the on-shore/off-shore oil
and gas industries.
We will exchange and share information to
each other that assists both unions in advancing our members’ interests in obtaining the best possible terms and conditions
for their employment with the oil and gas
industry.
Furthermore we agree to honour the
existing traditional membership coverage
of both unions.
In NZEPMU’s case they cover all those
workers employed on fixed oil/gas drilling and extraction platforms, stationary
drilling, extraction and storage platforms.
www.munz.org.nz MUNZ covers all workers who are employed on the transportation of drilling,
extraction platforms and boats and ships
which are intended to become stationary
drilling extraction and storage vessels,
boats and ships.
Also they will continue to have coverage
of boats and ships that service and supply
fixed drilling/extraction and storage vessels, boats and ships.
Both unions will work closely in all relating to industry issues, skills, training,
health and safety, and the future of energy
in the New Zealand society and economy.
Finally, both unions will work closely with
their counterpart union in Australia at the
International Transport Workers Federation.
Signed,
Andrew Little (National Secretary, NZEPMU)
Trevor Hanson (National Secretary, MUNZ)
“The NZEPMU
and MUNZ agree
to co-operation
and solidarity in
recruiting,
organizing
and collective
bargaining
activities within
the on-shore/
off-shore oil and
gas industries”
The Maritimes | October 2008 | NEWS
BUS LOCKOUT
The Maritime Union joined the picket lines
outside the Kilbirnie Bus Depot in Wellington on Thursday 25 September to support
locked out bus drivers.
Over three hundred Wellington City bus
drivers employed by Go Wellington were
locked out for the day.
Secretary of the Wellington Tramways
Union Kevin O’Sullivan says in April
2004 the average driver worked rostered
overtime and was paid $40,000 a year – by
April 2008 the average driver had a yearly
income of under $37,000.
The drop in income came about when the
company cut most rostered shifts back to 8
hours or fewer in 2007.
This caused huge disruption to the bus
service. The company claimed in the news
media at the time that the disruption was
caused by a drivers’ strike. There was no
strike, simply a shortage of people willing
to work on the low wage rates.
The Tramways Union successfully challenged the flat rate agreement in the
Employment Relations Authority, which
in Janurary this year ruled the inferior
contract null and void.
The company cut the drivers’ rostered
hours to try to get rid of the overtime rates.
They wanted to force drivers to accept a
flat rate agreement.
Now the Wellington bus drivers are
seeking to correct this injustice in their
Collective Employment Agreement
negotiations.
The company has not offered enough
money yet to restore the average drivers
earnings to the level they were in 2005,
let alone paying something extra to cover
prive increasese since 2005.
New Zealand transport unions affiliated to
the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) gave their support to locked
out Wellington bus drivers.
ITF affiliates in New Zealand include the
Rail and Maritime Transport Union, Maritime Union of New Zealand, Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union,
National Distribution Union, Merchant
Service Guild, and Aviation and Marine
Engineers Association, representing tens
of thousands of New Zealand transport
workers.
Twelve members of the Rail and Maritime
Transport Union (RMTU) who work as
operations controllers at Go Wellington
refused to cross the bus drivers picket line
on health and safety grounds.
The Maritime Union of New Zealand offered its 100% support to the workers.
Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor
Hanson says bus drivers have a heavy
responsibility in their job but get paid
abysmally low wages.
“Most workers will be very sympathetic to
their cause.”
www.munz.org.nz
NEWS
Rats!
A giant union rat is appearing outside
McDonald’s restaurants throughout Auckland.
Unite Union is asking the public to support workers who will be striking to gain
pay equity with other fast food companies.
“The Rat” joined McDonald’s workers
at Otara McDonald’s in September as
they walked off the job in protest over
pay negotiations that were stalled by the
company.
Negotiations between Unite Union and the
fast food giant have been underway since
March 2008 but broke down this week after McDonald’s failed to meet the deadline
for a revised offer.
Unite claims that the golden arches are letting their workers slip behind the industry
after refusing to make a real offer to settle
the negotiations.
“McDonald’s are claiming on their television ads that they care for their workers
growing coffee but in New Zealand they
have been dragging their feet coming back
to us with any sort of reasonable offer,”
said Unite organiser Tom Buckley.
“Crew are paid 52c an hour less than their
major competitors, some managers only
earn $1.50 more than the minimum wage
and a lot of experienced workers have
spent years on the minimum wage. We are
sick of waiting for the company to make
us a reasonable offer, they said that they’d
make an offer by now.”
“It’s slavery pay,” said Josephine Lindsay
from McDonald’s Glenn Innes.
“It’s only just enough to pay the rent, you
can’t live on these wages.”
The union is also concerned at the lack of
secure hours. McDonald’s keep every crew
member on contracts with no fixed hours.
This gives them no sense of job security
and puts an big whip in the hands of managers by cutting their hours for any minor
infraction.
It opens workers up to the type of abuse
that led to a McDonald’s worker in
Kaiapoi winning a $15,000 award from the
Employment Authority.
ITF launches
new website
for world’s
seafarers
A major new resource for the world’s
seafarers was unveiled in June 2008 at the
ITF’s maritime conference in Stockholm,
Sweden.
www.itfseafarers.org, an innovative news,
advice and support service, was launched
both to press and to the hundreds of inspectors’, dockers’ and seafarers’ delegates
attending the week long conference.
The new site is the only ‘one stop shop’ for
seafarers anywhere, irrespective of how
computer literate they are or how good or
bad the equipment they access it from may
be.
It offers them information on their health,
their pay and safety and includes features
such as: Crew Talk message boards; advice
and help; Ship Look-up Tool showing
vessel agreements and other information;
Inside the Issues briefing area; interactive
polls; trade union contact details, and an
ITF inspectors’ blog.
ITF Maritime Co-ordinator Steve Cotton
explained how the new project was the
result of seafarers’ pleas for web-based
support that they could access from home,
at sea and, in particular, during time
snatched on shore leave.
“Time, effort and all the expertise we can
draw on has gone into getting this site
right,” he said, “and with feedback from
users we expect to make it better still.”
The new site has taken eight months work
to develop and launches in English, the
international seafarers’ language.
Chinese, Russian and Spanish versions
will follow.
Ease of use and access were built into it
from the start.
For more information:
www.itfseafarers.org
Sousan Razani: sentenced to barbaric punishment for
labour activism
Iranian workers
under attack
Repression against labour activists in Iran
is intensifying.
In recent months, there have been
numerous cases of arrests and jailings.
Most shocking perhaps was the sentencing
of two women labour activists (including
Sousan Razani, pictured) to 15 lashes and
four months in prison, for the “crime” of
participating in a May Day celebration.
Additional cases which concern us
include:
Mr Abdullah Khani, 40 lashes and 91 days
in prison
Mr Seyed Qaleb Hosseini, 50 lashes and 6
months in prison
Mr Khaled Hosseini, 30 lashes and
suspended prison sentence
Mr Farzad Kamangar, a Kurdish teacher,
sentenced to death
Mr Afshin Shams, arrested
Mr Mansour Osanloo, leader of Tehran’s
bus workers, in prison since July 2007.
Workers around the world have called on
the Iranian government to immediately
release these prisoners and to cease all
repression of labour activists.
You can help! Send a message via the LabourStart
website:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_
campaign.cgi?c=416
www.unite.org.nz
www.munz.org.nz The Maritimes | October 2008 | WATERFRONT
Box nets targeted by Union
“All members
should insist
that proper
gangway rigging
is carried out”
10 | The Maritimes | October 2008
The Maritime Union is asking all branches
and all members to insist that gangway
nets are rigged correctly.
There are concerns that members are using
“box netted” gangways (see picture on
left) to access vessels. These “box netted”
gangways do not provide an adequate
level of safety.
Properly netted gangways (see picture on
right) must be used to ensure safety.
Ninety per cent of MUNZ members in
New Zealand must traverse gangways
to gain access to their workplace, says
Hanson.
“They have every expectation that everything possible is done to ensure their
safety under legislation, regulation and
enforcement.”
The Union has recently written to Maritime New Zealand about concerns that
the port operations code of practice that
specifies correct gangway netting has been
watered down.
Inconsistent application of the rules at the
Port of Napier has triggered the issue.
Mr Hanson says a fatality of a Russian seafarer in Dunedin some years ago alerted
the Union that the rigging of gangway nets
on our coast had deteriorated.
“We as workers were as responsible as
anyone else to ensure nets were rigged appropriately prior to use of gangways.”
Within the past two years on two different vessels, gangways have given way,
possibly due to insecure bolts under the
platform at the top of the gangway.
In both of these incidents the net was
correctly rigged, and the gangway was
prevented from falling between the ship
and the wharf, with potentially disastrous
consequences including death or serious
injury.
The Union has warned Maritime New
Zealand authorities that if a serious accident occurs on a a gangway that is rigged
(boxed) in a manner that allows persons to
fall between a wharf and ship, legal action
will be taken.
In the meantime, the Union is asking
all branches and members to insist that
proper gangway rigging is carried out,
and to report any breaches to the National
Office.
www.munz.org.nz
NEWS
Local 13 and Auckland Seafarers’ Branch Maritime Union of New Zealand members show their support for the ILWU
Contract negotiations 2008
Organising in
global network
terminals
Unions representing workers of the
world’s largest port terminal operators
took firm steps forward recently as they
planned future strategies and vowed to
increase workers’ organisation along major
transport chains.
Fifty port workers’ representatives from
APM Terminals, Hutchison, Dubai Ports
World and PSA International gathered in
Antwerp, Belgium, on 18-19 September.
The meeting agreed a declaration of
solidarity covering workers in all global
network terminals (GNTs).
ITF Dockers’ Section Chair, Paddy Crumlin of the Maritime Union of Australia,
explained: “We are seeking global dialogue
but at the same time, we are prepared to
fight for workers’ rights and good safety
practices.
The GNTs need to demonstrate good governance in their global relationships with
their workforce. Unions here have made a
strong commitment to support each other
to stamp out any threats to ports workers
and to their communities, and to work together to build labour solidarity throughout the transport chain.”
http://www.itfglobal.org
www.munz.org.nz “Just in time”
Unions call for
system pressures radical change
workers
Transport workers are facing increasing
pressures as a result of attempts to speed
up the movement of goods, ITF General
Secretary David Cockroft told delegates at
a United Nations conference in Greece in
September 2008.
Cockroft was speaking at a United Nations
economic conference in Piraeus, which
focused on ways of freeing up major
bottlenecks in seaports hinterland connections, caused by growing volumes of
international trade.
“We are only too well aware of the desire
for ever more flexibility. Well if that means
longer hours, more unsocial hours, less
rest and exhausted workers struggling to
deliver goods at exactly the appointed hour
even if they occasionally fall asleep at the
wheel, forget it.
We live it a world of ‘just in time’
production, of a supply chain which has
become so sensitive to even small delays
that it is putting intolerable pressures on
ordinary workers, be they seafarers, portworkers, barge crews, truckers or even rail
workers”.
These problems could be avoided, however, if there was proper dialogue with
workers and if they were encouraged to
set up democratic worker-controlled trade
unions.
The trade union movement has called
for radical change as the global economic
crisis unfolds.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has called for the effective
regulation of the financial markets accompanied by a strong focus on decent work
and collective bargaining rights.
The ITUC stated, “The imbalances which
have seen real wages fall or stagnate, at
the same time as capital has reaped record
profits, need to be redressed.”
European trade union leaders at a London
meeting in September stated that “Never
again can irresponsibility by banks and
hedge funds and the rest be allowed to
come close to bankrupting nations. Never
again must taxpayers’ money be used to
prop up institutions that continue to pay
huge salaries and bonuses to their top
executives.
Never again can shareholder value, with
directors’ bonuses linked to it, be allowed
to be the sole goal of companies”.
http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?article2417,
http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI
http://www.etuc.org/a/5367
The Maritimes | October 2008 | 11
ITF
ITF MARITIME
CONFERENCE
Stockholm, June 2008
by Garry Parsloe
National Vice President
O
n the way to the ITF Maritime
Conference that was held in
Stockholm in June 2008, National Assistant
Secretary Russell Mayn and I stopped off
in Rotterdam at the invitation of the Dutch
Waterfront Workers Union (FNU) to look
at their training schools.
These schools that are set up for training
dock workers into the industry are amazing. I will not report on this issue as Russell has done so elsewhere in this edition.
When we arrived in Sweden on Saturday
14 June 2008 we were joined by Wellington
Seafarers’ Branch Secretary Joe Fleetwood.
On Sunday 15 June 2008 the conference
opened in Stockholm with the Dockers’
Section committee meeting.
In his opening address MUA National
Secretary Paddy Crumlin reported on
the MUNZ victory in the Port of Napier.
Paddy said that this was a very significant
and important victory, especially how
MUNZ had protected all the union jobs
and that those jobs are now secured into
the future.
The Swedish delegate then gave a report
on current disputes in Sweden and how
those disputes were progressing.
Neik Stam from Holland then gave a
report on their union’s dispute over their
pension scheme.
ITF Dockers Secretary Frank Leys gave
a report under the heading of “Ports of
Convenience.”
Frank spoke at length on the need to
protect dockers’ jobs and made reference
to the important MUNZ victory in the Port
of Napier.
MUNZ Assistant General Secretary Russell Mayn made our Union proud with
his excellent presentation. He concluded
his presentation by thanking the dockers
for all the support from the International,
which had ensured that we secured a
victory in the Port of Napier.
Paddy Crumlin gave a full and comprehensive report on the Maersk network. Paddy
reported on the relationship that the ITF has
with Maersk, and later spoke on building
International solidarity in the International
Dockers Trade Union Movement.
The South African delegate addressed the
question of ‘women in the workforce.’
Frank Leys gave a health and safety report
making a special note of the need for a
health and safety plan in all work places,
and also spoke on cargo handling and
cruise line luggage handling.
Frank stated that this issue is complicated
and there needs a lot of work on it.
The above concluded day one.
Monday 16 June 2008
On Monday the 16 June 2008 the ITF Seafarers’ Section commenced with a presentation from the Swedish ITF affiliate.
John Bainbridge then introduced the first
paper under the heading of “IMO and
Maritime Safety Issues”.
This was about measures to prevent accidents with lifeboats, with concerns about
servicing.
The ITF will continue working with the
industry group, particularly with regard
to on-board release blocks with a possible
aim to ban them in the future.
With an increase in incidents of piracy and
armed robbery at sea, and particularly the
increasing problem of hostage-taking in
Somalian waters, it was agreed to take the
matter to the UN Security Council, particularly with the acceptance of patrolling
international vessels.
General cargo ship safety and drainage of
ro-ro vehicle decks and protection against
noise on ships are new work items. There
was also support for identifying the safety
criteria for Floating Production Storage and
Offloading Facilities (FPSOs) and Floating
Storage Units (FSU), which has been sent to
the STW and FSI subcommittees.
The conference had a long debate around
the lifeboat safety, especially who decides
when it is not safe to be in the lifeboat
whilst it is being lowered.
The conference also had a debate around
medicals for seafarers, especially where a
seafarer can fail a medical because of their
weight.
There was also a discussion around safe
manning levels as opposed to operational
manning levels. As vessels safety requirements are and can nearly always be below
the number of seafarers required to man
the vessel for operational work patterns,
there needs to be two manning levels that
all ship owners would have to comply
with, one safety and one operational.
The next session was headed “Maritime
Review: Changes and Direction/Flag of
Convenience Campaign Review”.
This session was presented by Steve Cotton. Steve spoke on promoting our membership and our members. He went on
to identify the strengths and weaknesses
within the ITF.
There was a discussion and open debate
on the FOC Campaign with delegates raising questions on issues of wage rates, the
level of national flags, a seafarers charter,
boycotts, the right to strike, joint negotiations and labour supply.
The above concluded day two.
Tuesday 17 June 2008
Day three opened with ITF Secretary
David Cockroft giving an overview of
operations and activities within the ITF.
David then gave a report on the Flag of
Convenience Campaign and other areas
that the ITF is working in, such as organising young workers who are the future of
the trade union movement.
The conference then had an open debate
on the topic of Organising Globally and
Young Workers.
The conference also spent some time discussing the Maersk Network.
There is to be an important Maersk
Network meeting set down for the 16–17
September 2008 in Antwerp.
It is important that we get a better understanding of how Maersk works and
complete a full mapping programme so
as to stay ahead of Maersk or at least stay
alongside.
All speakers felt that we must continue to
monitor Maersk.
The next section was agenda item 11:
“Work Programme”.
Goals are:
1. To build the capacity and effectiveness
of seafarers’ unions globally.
2. Implement organising globally.
3. Decent work for seafarers.
We discussed the work programme to prioritize issues and identify how the section
should change the way we do things, and
what we should do to reflect our organising mandate agreed by congress.
The above concluded day three.
www.munz.org.nz
ITF
Wednesday 18 June 2008
The last day of the conference was set
aside for the Fair Practices Committee
meeting.
The main issue in the morning session was
the Flag of Convenience campaign review.
There was a large number of delegates
from all over the world who gave reports
on training, ship inspections, the changing role of the inspectorate, assignment of
work, accountability, the National
Coordinating Committee, funding, budgeting and auditing.
The afternoon session commenced with a
discussion on the motions from the previous days debate.
There was an update from the Seafarers’
Section meetings which had adopted a
national Cabotage policy.
“Cabotage is the principle of reserving a
nation’s domestic maritime commerce for
its own citizens. Typically, cabotage applies to transport of cargo and passengers
but is often also applied to such marine industrial applications as off-shore drilling,
exploitation of seabed mineral resources,
dredging, fisheries and marine construction in a nation’s territorial waters. It also
includes the feeder services linked to liner
trades.”
www.munz.org.nz In summary, cabotage is a logical extension
of a country’s transport, environmental,
economic, national security and employment practices.
The potential for achieving these benefits
for nations with no or limited cabotage
policies is enormous and should be pursued with vigour.
It is a prerequisite for an integrated
transport policy and for the inclusion of
a maritime component which makes it
sustainable.
This above section was followed by an
update from the dockers section meetings.
The conference carried a resolution which
in part stated:
“[This conference] . . . supports the ILWU
on the West Coast of the USA and its
negotiating committee, which are working
to achieve a tentative agreement to bring
to its 15,000 member rank and file for approval by 1 July when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement with PMA will
expire.”
After both the above sections the conference had an inspectorate audit report, an
offshore task force report, and a campaign
targets report.
As you can see from the above we had a
very productive conference.
“Cabotage is
the principle
of reserving
a nation’s
domestic
maritime
commerce for its
own citizens”
INTERNATIONAL
by Russell Mayn
Assistant General Secretary
Both Garry Parsloe and I were fortunate
enough to attend the Dutch Maritime
Training School Scheepvaart En Transport
College (STC) on our way to a recent ITF
meeting.
Our thanks to the Dutch Union FNV for
hosting us and all the time and effort that
Niek Stam, Ed van den Hoek and Geff
Keizer put aside to show us around the
Port of Rotterdam. The facilities available
at the Maritime Training School were first
class and covered all facets of our industry
from seafaring through to stevedoring.
In previous articles I have highlighted the
lack of recognised standards and qualifications that presently exist in some areas of
the maritime industry in New Zealand,
mainly in the stevedoring sector.
What was evident in the Port of Rotterdam
was that through the training school and
follow-up programmes a qualification for
all aspects of the stevedoring business was
in place.
Not only was this beneficial to stevedores
but it meant that employers were competing on an even playing field.
Companies had to have properly trained
workers before they could undertake
work in the Port. This in my opinion has
removed the easy option of using poorly
trained labour hire companies to supply
labour at a discount rate.
Companies can feel confident that if they
spend the time and resources required to
have a highly trained and skilled workforce they will not be disadvantaged when
quoting for shipping contracts.
In fact if the authorities moved to a more
regulated industry approach we may see
stevedoring companies being in a position
where they can remain in business and
provide sustainable safe well-remunerated
work conditions to their employees.
These days casualisation is no longer due
to the availability of intermittent work, it is
a measure used to reduce wages, motivated by a never-ending drive to reduce
the cost of stevedoring by some shipping
companies.
The question that needs to be asked is why
is there such a difference in rates between
stevedoring in Australia and New Zealand?
I suspect that this never was the case
before the Employment Contracts Act was
introduced in New Zealand.
As previously stated, the facilities available at STC were excellent, simulators
for straddle and container crane driver
training.
MARITIME TRAINING
www.munz.org.nz
I was fortunate to be able to have a short
time in the seat of the straddle simulator
and it was eerie to experience how realistic
the simulator was.
I never got behind the controls of the container crane simulator. This may have been
due to my efforts in the straddle simulator but we spent some time in the crane
simulator while stevedores were training
and it was easy to see the benefits gained
by having such a training aid.
Perhaps no individual company in New
Zealand could afford the cost of a crane
simulator but it would be interesting to
compare the cost of training stevedores in
straddles, fork hoists and cranes against
the cost of using a simulator.
Firstly the cost of electricity and fuel
would have to be considered and the
maintenance costs required when machinery hours clocked up were taken into
account.
Add to this the availability of cranes and
straddles for training when ships have to be
worked and the intermittent nature of the
training because of this plant availability
and the cost of a simulator versus traditional training methods may well reduce.
More importantly the stevedore training
has the advantage of training in a relatively stress free environment where he/she
can hone their skills without the knowledge that a mistake during the learning
process could mean real damage to equipment. The end product I am sure would be
a much better process and result.
An option may be to fund this sort of training imitative on a national basis where all
the port companies pooled their training
dollars and invested in a far superior training strategy and facility.
The training provided was not just for machinery driving but encompassed lashing
and all aspects of stevedoring and was not
a one day wonder.
Considerable time and effort has been
taken to make sure that training for lashing and slinging etc is fully covered.
INTERNATIONAL
This involves mentoring and practical
work experience with fully qualified stevedores at the coal face. One of the important
parts is the emphasis that is put on safety
at the workplace and the initiatives introduced that make this paramount.
A small piece of background to the training school that is well worthy of mention
is that in 1947 a professor of psychology
Theo Rutten was commissioned to investigate the “activities and mentalities of dock
labourers”.
He was later appointed Minister of Education in the first Drees cabinet the following
year.
He reached the conclusion that it was clear
as it was simple: “Dock labour definitely
provided enough material for it to become
a subject and the establishment of an institution that could provide this knowledge
will therefore be justified”.
The first vocational training opened in
1949.
How many can remember the Waterfront
Training Schools that existed in New Zealand before the Waterfront Commission
was disbanded?
Again our thanks to FNV and STC.
The European Way
www.munz.org.nz The Maritimes | October 2008 | 15
HEALTH & SAFETY
by Paul White
Auckland Waterfront Branch Local 13
A BEAR WITH
TOOTHACHE
Tena kotou katoa.
When I first started driving a straddle, I
used to rush everywhere like a bear with a
toothache.
In the process I left my footprint on more
than one or two containers.
I don't drive like that any more though.
There are a number of reasons why I drove
like that and equally as many reasons why
I don't drive like that today.
Under the Health and Safety in Employment (HSE) Act there are responsibilities of
the individual, responsibilities of the people
in my work place and responsibilities of the
employer.
This article is about me as an individual
and how I work in relation to the HSE Act.
In future articles I will consider the HSE
Act from all angles.
A turning point in terms of my attitude
towards driving would be my first
collision with a container, it was a boomer.
I learned from that experience and I have
never repeated that type of incident.
There was another incident that had an
equally profound and lasting effect on me.
It involved the work practises of a coworker.
I don't know why I never noticed this
particular driver before. I was working on
the berth when this straddle approached
to pickup a container.
As I watched he glided in like a hawk
lining up its prey.
He eased his machine to a stop without
the slightest quiver or shudder of the
brakes. His spreader seemed to caress
the container, he used minimum effort to
lift the box, and sauntered away before
accelerating when he was out of earshot.
It was like watching something in slow
motion; but he wasn't slow at all, graceful
maybe.
He is now working in Brisbane and a
member of the MUA.
It wasn't until I got my chance to imitate
what I had seen that day that I realised the
amount of skill it required.
To this I day I use this example to judge
my own performance. I use accuracy and
safety as my motivators today, not speed.
In this way I am contributing in a positive
manner to the collective safety of my co
workers. How can I ask my colleagues to
respect my right to a safe workplace if I
don't respect their right to have the same?
I am responsible for my safety and the
safety of those around me. The individual
has an important role to play in ensuring
we have a safer workplace.
Experience is invaluable, here is some
advice: the best cure for a toothache is
prevention.
Kia ora.
www.munz.org.nz
Ten years on:
the Patrick’s dispute and
South Pacific Shipping
liquidation
by Mike Will 2655
Comrades, it is ten years since the lock out
of the Maritime Union of Australia in the
Patrick's dispute.
It is also ten years since South Pacific
Shipping (SPS) was placed into
liquidation. The ship I was on, the
Turakina, was placed under federal arrest
in Sydney at Berth 5 at Darling Harbor.
Looking back, it seems a long time but the
memories are still vivid as though it were
yesterday.
The demise of SPS had a tremendous effect
on our Union and the maritime industry
with the loss of many jobs. The flow-on
effects strained whole communities.
The crew of the Turakina eventually
dwindled down to two union members
after four months with no pay, surviving
on donations and support from both sides
of the Tasman: myself and Paddy Keneally.
We spent many a day in Federal Courts
to get food and fuel for power to live on
board.
Our Australian brothers were true to our
union ideals helping us with support
from all sectors taking us out to May
Day marches (30,000 people), putting us
on buses and going to Newcastle for the
day to march, have a feed and speak at
meetings about our plight as seafarers and
offer our support from across "the ditch".
The time spent there had a big impact on
me – the way they organized and gave us
encouragement to stick fast.
We repaid this by joining them on the
"angry mile" and reporting on what the
scabs were up to on the waterfront.
We had an MUA cook sent to us by the
Federal Courts. I was arrested for assault
on two scabs and damaging Patrick's
property and sentenced to four months
jail.
I appealed by myself and received 12
months suspended sentence.
All of the crew were banned from Patrick's
property. We watched grown men cry,
banging their hands on metal fences until
their hands bled.
I remember all of us waiting for the scabs
to arrive to do training. The guard that
opened the gate got spat on by anyone that
could reach. He was covered in spit until
no one could muster any more saliva.
He stood back from the gate and ripped off
his shirt and just screamed.
www.munz.org.nz There was a moment of silence, then
everyone just laughed. He was taken away
and I don't think I saw him again.
There were lots of moments like that. It
was quite ingenious some of the ideas
guys come up with.
On the ship, we were given a box of
bangers and as the security guards drove
past in Patrick's vans we would chuck
them. Sometimes they landed inside. This
resulted in a letter of complaint from the
company.
We also had a sling-shot that went across
the poop-deck. The sound of a greasenipple flying is something to be heard I
tell you. Those things whistled past like
bullets for a couple of hundred metres.
The security guards with balaclavas on
were arseholes. They egged us on when
they had to escort the crew from the ship
to the gate where we joined our MUA
comrades.
People turned up from other unions
to support the unified struggle against
Howard, Reith, Costello and all their dogs.
All this for one reason – to protect
conditions that have been hard won by the
union, the right to a fair days pay for a fair
days work.
UNION HISTORY
It took ten years of the court system to
finally get a result out of Klaus Lower
the person responsible for sending ships
out to get tax breaks from the German
government.
This and the failure of the Trans Tasman
accord and the government of the day saw
people lose their jobs and livelihoods in an
attempt to destroy the seafarer culture.
Even though we received a small
percentage of what we were owed, ten
years later, 9 cents for every dollar owed,
I still feel that the principle of that whole
exercise sent a message to a lot of ship
owners.
That message is that we will not give
up without a fight for our right to be
employed in this industry and work under
a union-negotiated contract.
This can be forgotten when dollars are put
upfront to test basic union principles.
Coming home was mostly a non-event as
the industry was still in shock from what
had happened.
I decided to come back to sea five years
later, starting in Strait Shipping.
What a culture shock, that was seeing first
hand what the changes had been, but I was
still proud to know that I walked up the
gangway of that company as a Maritime
Union member.
The last time I had seen the Straitsman
before that I was chucking rocks and eggs
at it with my Lyttelton brothers.
It is hard to write about everything that
happened in that four months that we
were there as the memories get a bit more
vivid and animated after a few ales.
It always good to catch up with other
members who were involved in the
lockout in Australia. The Rangitata was in
Melbourne as well at the time.
I think it is an important part of our
history that should not be forgotten.
"Out of many people one union."
Mike Will, Phil Carroll and Darryl Johnson, Auckland, 1987
ITF
ITF SHIP INSPECTIONS
ITF Inspector Grahame McLaren (left) and MUNZ Timaru Branch President Kevin Forde (right) check the ITF Agreement with the Master of the IVS Nightingale in the Port of Timaru,
August 2008 (photo by Victor Billot)
“The main thing
is to make sure
the standard of
living is up to
scratch, as well
as the health
and safety and
wellbeing of the
crew”
by Victor Billot
The new New Zealand Inspector for the
ITF is Grahame McLaren. Based at the
national office of the Maritime Union in
Wellington, a big part of Grahame’s work
is to inspect ships as part of the global
campaign to get ITF agreements for all
crews.
Grahame first shipped out in January 1978
and has spent most of the last thirty years
as a seafarer, apart from a couple of short
breaks, including training as a computer
technician.
As part of an ITF inspection, he says, “The
main thing is to make sure the standard of
living is up to scratch, as well as the health
and safety and wellbeing of the crew.”
Grahame will visit ports throughout New
Zealand, where he will work with the local
MUNZ branch to organize an inspection
on board vessels.
Often he will be accompanied on an inspection by the local official of delegates.
If the ship is covered by an ITF agreement,
Grahame will ask the Master to go over
the paperwork, which can include the
agreement, contracts, payment and overtime records, safety and manning records.
However many vessels do not have ITF
agreements, and the ITF is refused access
to any information about the crew.
In this case, Grahame will ask the Master
to ensure that the owners are informed
that the ITF has visited the vessel and wish
to get an ITF agreement to cover the crew.
Often Grahame will have to help with
overseas seafarers who are having problems on their vessel.
A recent situation onboard the Koreanflagged Hijhny occurred when a Filipino
bosun was sacked for what the owners
claimed was “incompetence.”
They wanted him to pay for his return fare
from Lyttelton where he was to be repatriated from. The bosun’s family back in the
Phillippines was without any money.
However, after the ITF intervened, the
bosun was flown home and the ITF
received written confirmation that he had
received wages due.
www.munz.org.nz
ITF
ILWU dockers
back striking
crew
MUNZ Communications Officer Victor Billot, MUNZ Port Chalmers Dunedin Branch executive member Stuart Crawford
and ITF Inspector Grahame MacLaren aboard the Alexandra Rickmers, Port Chalmers, September 2008
More recently, I accompanied Grahame on
board the Cap Beaufort at Port Chalmers,
which does not yet have an ITF agreement.
We received a frosty reception from the
Polish Master, who refused to let us see
any documentation.
However, following the ITF visit, Grahame
was contacted by the owners who said the
Cap Beaufort was in the process of receiving an ITF agreement
Their company was the owner of more
than 80 container vessels which are all covered by valid special agreements signed
with ITF Germany.
The ITF is also carrying out a campaign on
the Seatrade company. This Dutch-based
company has the largest reefer fleet in the
world.
75% of its approximately 140 vessels have
no ITF agreement.
Grahame says an ITF inspection was
recently carried out on the vessel in Mount
Maunganui by himself and MUNZ branch
officials.
Since that inspection, Grahame says five of
the six Seatrade vessels operating in New
Zealand waters without an ITF agreement
have been pulled. They have been replaced
by vessels with ITF agreements.
Grahame says he isn’t sure if this is a result
of ITF actions, but it was a pleasing result
regardless.
The Maritime Union encourages all its
members to support the work of the ITF to
which we are an affiliate.
www.munz.org.nz ITF Co-ordinator
moves on after 37
years with Union
ITF New Zealand Co-ordinator Kathy
Whelan has moved on after 37 years in the
job.
The ITF Co-ordinators meeting in
Stockholm, Sweden, 17 June 2008, marked
this with the following statement:
At this meeting of ITF Co-ordinators
held in Stockholm, Sweden, the FOC
Co-ordinators meeting recognizes the
enormous contribution given by Kathy
Whelan to the maritime industry and the
Flag of Convenience (FOC) campaign.
Over the past 37 years, Kathy has worked
tirelessly to support the rights of national
workers in New Zealand along with
international seafarers worldwide.
As the New Zealand FOC Co-ordinator,
Kathy has supported thousands of
seafarers who would otherwise have been
left to the mercy of the FOC system and
rogue operators.
Her courage and dedication will serve
as a model to the entire worldwide
inspectorate and we take this opportunity
to thank her for her service.
As for Kathy’s future pursuits, the Coordinators group wish her all the best
health, happiness and good fortune in
whatever course her career takes her.
In solidarity, her friends of the worldwide
inspectorate,
Peter Lovkvist
(Chairperson)
Crew members on the Liberian flagged
Cap Spencer were able to call off a strike
in Long Beach this week after winning
all their demands with the help of local
dockworkers.
The crew contacted ITF inspector Stefan
Mueller-Dombois, asking for help with
wages and working conditions problems.
As requested, he put them in touch with
the authorities and also alerted fellow
ILWU members that there were problems
onboard.
Unable to resolve their problems the crew
called a strike on Tuesday, which they
announced by holding up notices saying
“On Strike” and “Low Wages and
Conditions”.
The dockers offloading the ship recognised
these as a legitimate picket line, ceased
operations and disembarked the vessel.
Later that day with the ITF and ILWU’s
help the crew were able to secure back
wages, letters of indemnity and an ITFapproved Verdi agreement.
ILWU International Affairs Director Ray
Familathe commented: “This sends a clear
message that ILWU dockworkers support
the efforts of seafarers to join unions and
better their working conditions.
“Longshoremen from the ILWU well know
that solidarity between seafarers and dockworkers is the way to stamp out union
busting on the docks and the ships that
seafarers work on. With the many attacks
on maritime labour in this global economy,
a union that gives solidarity today may be
in need of solidarity tomorrow.”
Stefan Mueller-Dombois described the
result as significant and satisfying and
asked his colleagues in New Zealand and
Australia to check that all was well on the
vessel when it reached its next ports of
call.
MUNZ checked the vessel when it arrived
in Auckland to ensure everything was in
order.
FLAG OF CONVENIENCE
Flags of
Convenience
www.munz.org.nz
FLAGS OF CONVENIENCE
The ITF is unique amongst international
trade union organisations in having a
powerful influence on wages and conditions of one particular group of workers:
seafarers working on ships flying Flags of
Convenience (FOCs).
FOCs provide a means of avoiding labour
regulation in the country of ownership,
and become a vehicle for paying low
wages and forcing long hours of work and
unsafe working conditions.
Since FOC ships have no real nationality,
they are beyond the reach of any single
national seafarers’ trade union.
The ITF has therefore been obliged to take
on internationally the role traditionally
exercised by national trade unions – to
organise and negotiate on behalf of FOC
crews.
For 50 years the ITF, through its affiliated seafarers’ and dockers’ unions, has
been waging a vigorous campaign
against shipowners who abandon the
flag of their own country in search of
the cheapest possible crews and the
lowest possible training and safety
standards for their ships.
In defining an FOC the ITF takes as
its most important criterion whether
the nationality of the shipowner is
the same as the nationality of the flag.
In 1974 the ITF defined an FOC as:
“Where beneficial ownership and control of a vessel is found to lie elsewhere
than in the country of the flag the vessel is
flying, the vessel is considered as sailing
under a flag of convenience.”
The ITF campaign against flags of convenience, which was formally launched at the
1948 World Congress in Oslo in Norway,
has two elements:
• A political campaign designed to
establish by international governmental
agreement a genuine link between the flag
a ship flies and the nationality or residence
of its owners, managers and seafarers,
and so eliminate the flag of convenience
system entirely;
• An industrial campaign designed to
ensure that seafarers who serve on flag of
convenience ships, whatever their nationality, are protected from exploitation by
shipowners.
ITF agreements
Over the past 50 years the ITF’s maritime
affiliates have developed a set of policies
which seek to establish minimum acceptable standards applicable to seafarers serving on FOC vessels.
www.munz.org.nz The policies form the basis of an ITF
Standard Collective Agreement which sets
the wages and working conditions for all
crew on Flag of Convenience vessels irrespective of nationality.
It is the only agreement normally available to shipowners who run into industrial
action.
All FOC vessels covered by an
ITF-acceptable agreement are issued an
ITF Blue Certificate by the ITF Secretariat,
which signifies the ITF’s acceptance of the
wages and working conditions on board.
About a quarter of all FOC vessels are
currently covered by ITF agreements, thus
giving direct protection to over 123,000
seafarers.
Compliance with ITF-recognised agreements is monitored by a network of over
130 ITF inspectors in ports throughout the
world.
Inspectors monitor wages and conditions
ITF inspectors are union officials who
are either full time or part time working
directly with the ITF.
By inspecting FOC ships they monitor the
payment of wages and other social and
employment conditions and if necessary
take action to enforce ITF policy.
In recent years the number of inspectors
has doubled and they are now to be found
in ports in every region of the world.
The FOC campaign is the joint responsibility of the Seafarers’ and Dockers’ Sections
and it is the Fair Practices Committee
(FPC) which has, since 1952, provided the
key forum by which both sections’ representatives have come together to review
the day to day running and effectiveness
of the Campaign.
Involvement of waterfront unions
The involvement of the waterfront unions,
whether through direct action or through
co-operation with seafarers’ unions, has
continued to be vital to the success of the
campaign.
The FPC is elected at each congress by
a joint conference of the Seafarers’ and
Dockers’ Sections. It usually meets once a
year (around May - June).
Between meetings, urgent matters may be
referred to the Fair Practices Committee Steering Group, which deals with
matters connected with the approval
of collective agreements and noncompliance with ITF policy by ITF
maritime affiliates, monitors and
develops the strategy and direction
of the FOC campaign, and considers new initiatives and means for
expanding and developing the
FOC campaign.
The role of the FPC steering group
is to monitor the activities of the ITF
Inspectors and to make recommendations to the appropriate ITF bodies on
the practical implementation of FOC policies and on any other matter relating to the
effectiveness of the campaign.
While the political campaign has not so far
succeeded in preventing a constant growth
in ships using FOC registers, the industrial campaign has succeeded in enforcing
decent minimum wages and conditions on
board nearly 5,000 FOC ships.
In addition, the ITF has become the standard-bearer for exploited and mistreated
seafarers, irrespective of nationality or
trade union membership, throughout the
world.
Every year millions of dollars are recovered by the ITF and its affiliated unions in
backpay and in compensation for death
or injury on behalf of seafarers who have
nowhere else to turn.
For more information, see
http://www.itfglobal.org/flags-convenience/index.cfm
HEALTH & SAFETY
by James Boucher
On the waterside: Port Otago crane operator Michael Lysaght and training co-ordinator Alan Middleditch
Third-shift
watersiders get
the job done
When it comes to burning the candle at
both ends, few people do it like the watersiders working the “third shift” at Port
Otago Limited in Port Chalmers.
Port Otago Ltd Training Co-ordinator
Alan Middleditch said the watersiders had
multiple roles, but third shift work was
usually only carried out on ships.
“That shift runs from 2300 to 0700 and
includes crane drivers, straddle carriers,
people working on the ship and on the
wharf and the support people such as the
supervisor, planner and controller,” Mr
Middleditch said.
He said third shift meant working from
7am until 3pm, having eight hours off and
then driving back to work from 11pm to
7am again.
“You never know which days you are
going to have off, which leads to shift lag,
which is similar to jet lag,” Mr Middleditch said.
“It affects different people in different
ways but a common complaint is that
it leads to insomnia and some studies
have shown that it can lead to things like
diabetes.”
It wasn’t uncommon to find people asleep
on their machines while awaiting their
next task, he said.
“People can get grumpy with a lack of
sleep so the boss has to be reasonably
diplomatic. Things tend to slow down a lot
when you’re working under those conditions, including people’s speech.”
Focusing was the key, Mr Middleditch said
when it came to what they called “high
concentration” jobs.
“We have cranes worth $11 million lifting
up to 30 tonnes and there’s always potential for injury or damage.
“Straddle drivers operate 60-tonne
machines [worth] $1.5 million, lifting 30
tonnes at speeds of up to 25kmh with a
margin of error of 300mm. You really have
to be focused on what you’re doing.”
Mr Middleditch said despite the rigours of
the job most people realised the importance of performing to the best of their
ability.
“It comes down to productivity, and if
we’re not performing the shipping companies will go elsewhere and we’d all be out
of a job. It’s as simple as that.”
This article and photo by James Boucher originally
appeared in the Dunedin Star newspaper and is
reproduced with permission
www.munz.org.nz
UNION HISTORY
FREE MARKET TRIP TO
LOWER WAGE FUTURE
By Peter Lyons
Basic grocery items that cost $130 last year
now cost $185. Each Sunday I traipse up to
Pak’N Save to do the shopping. What cost
me $130 last year for basic grocery items
now costs $185 for a household of two.
There are few luxuries.
The other night I caught a taxi home.
The driver said he was returning with
his family to Pakistan. He believed the
opportunities were better, particularly the
prospect of owning their own home.
He felt the cost of living in New Zealand
was too high for a low-wage economy. The
economic reforms of the past 25 years were
aimed at achieving economic prosperity.
So what has gone wrong?
In the past few decades New Zealand has
embraced the global marketplace with
an enthusiasm matched by few other
countries. We are often mentioned in
economic literature as a laboratory of free
market capitalism.
We rank with Chile as the poster boy of
this doctrine. So why, after almost 25 years
of privatisation, deregulation and free
trade are many Kiwis struggling to own
their own homes and pay the weekly bills?
We have applied a textbook economic
model of capitalism to a real society. The
model provides no allowance for the
context in which it is applied. For example
it assumes competitive markets to achieve
efficient outcomes for consumers.
In reality the small size of New Zealand
means truly competitive markets are
rare. The model assumes that people base
economic decisions on full information.
Many investors in finance companies
would dispute this assumption.
www.munz.org.nz The model prescribed privatisation so we
sold Telecom, BNZ, Air New Zealand, the
railways and large parts of the electricity
sector. The rationale was that private
ownership and competition encouraged
efficiency and benefited consumers.
The reality has been Telecom acting like
a monopoly and stonewalling broadband
access and other telecommunications
technology. It has meant significant
under-investment in infrastructure such as
electricity generation and rail facilities.
It has led to the partial buy-back of Air
New Zealand and the repurchase of the
railways in the belated realisation that
these are strategic assets that cannot be
allowed to fail. Throughout this process
there has been a huge transfer of general
public wealth to limited private hands.
The model prescribed deregulation to
remove laws restricting competition and
foreign ownership. This would encourage
more competition and efficiency.
As a result our banking system is now
largely foreign owned. A recent report
points out that New Zealand’s credit
rating is now dependent on the decisions
of its foreign-owned banks.
The deregulation of the finance sector has
been a key factor in the lending splurge
in recent years that is now unravelling.
Under deregulation banks operating in
New Zealand have been able to access
funds from abroad with no direct controls
on their lending activities.
Our finance sector has few regulatory
controls. This has contributed to the
finance company debacle. Unwary and
naive investors are very vulnerable. It is
assumed that market discipline will ensure
that lending is prudent and above board.
The credit crisis abroad and local finance
company collapses illustrate the absurdity
of this assumption.
Unfettered financial markets usually end
in disaster. Examples from history include
the Wall Street Crash, the US savings and
loan scandals of the 1980s and the 1997
Asian crisis.
Unwise bank lending also contributed
to our sharemarket meltdown in 1987.
The financial sector has always been the
Achilles heel of free markets.
The model prescribed free trade as the
avenue to economic prosperity. New
Zealand lowered its trade barriers with a
vengeance. After almost 20 years of free
trade we are back to a heavy reliance on
dairy exports circa 1972. No country has
become wealthy through a reliance on
agricultural exports alone.
Free trade is based on the concept of
specialisation, yet it is possible for a
country to specialise in activities that
ensure it remains relatively poor. A
country producing bananas is never going
to enjoy the same standard of living as a
country specialising in IT.
Agricultural and service-based economies
tend to be lower wage societies. Most
developed nations got rich through
industrialisation policies based on
selective protectionism. This has allowed
them to produce high valued added
products ensuring a higher standard of
living.
The recent failure of the WTO trade
negotiations highlights the hypocrisy of
developed nations in preaching free trade
but practising the opposite.
The free market model prescribed
controlling inflation. In the past few
years the Reserve Bank has maintained
high interest rates to reduce inflationary
pressures.
This has led to a bizarre circular process
where high interest rates attract funds
from overseas which have been pumped
into our housing market.
This led to further inflationary pressures
requiring higher interest rates. We have
been using overseas money to bid up
our own house prices. So we now live in
expensive houses but struggle to pay the
bills.
High interest rates resulted in an
overvalued exchange rate. This, coupled
with a blind adherence to free trade, has
acted as a scorched earth policy to our
manufacturing sector.
The real miracle is that any of these firms
have survived. The survivors are the real
heroes of our economy.
New Zealand’s experiences over the past
few decades should be a warning that a
pure free market economy exists only in
textbook models and the mathematical
imaginings of academic economists.
Peter Lyons teaches Economics at St Peter’s College in
Epsom and has authored several economics texts.
ELECTION 2008
WHAT UNIONS WANT IN 2008
The Council of Trade Unions supports the
election of a worker-friendly government
in 2008 which will deliver progressive
policies in the interests of workers, their
families and communities.
Our main objective is to improve the
wellbeing of working people and their
families.
The CTU acknowledges Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa
New Zealand and formally acknowledges
this through Te Runanga o Nga Kaimahi
Maori o Aotearoa (Te Runanga) the Maori
arm of Te Kauae Kaimahi (CTU), which
represents approximately 60,000 Maori
workers.
The CTU represents over 40 affiliated
unions, which have over 350,000 members
in total. As such, we are a large democratic
organisation with a vital interest in a wide
range of policy issues.
A lot done but much more to do
The CTU acknowledges that much has
been done in recent years to listen to the
concerns of workers.
Improvements have been made to employment rights, holidays, the minimum wage,
state sector pay and conditions, and in
many more areas.
There have been more jobs and more support for workers through paid parental
leave, cheaper visits to the doctor and family tax credits.
But the fact remains that we have relatively low wages embedded in our labour
market, collective bargaining coverage is
at only 9 percent in the private sector, and
unions are not adequately resourced to
support workers in the context of globalisation and economic transformation.
The key policy position for the CTU is to
support measures which are integrated
and balanced around the objective of a
high wage, high skill, high trust quality
economy that is sustainable, socially just,
and is supported by a strong state sector.
Wages
Increase the minimum wage to two-thirds
of the average wage and remove the new
entrants’ rate and trainee rate.
Amend ERA to ensure more workers can
benefit from collective bargaining.
Support union capacity to deliver improved wages and conditions for workers.
Implement good employer and responsible contractor policies in the state sector.
Lift investment in skills and technology
and improve workplace practices to boost
productivity.
An ongoing programme to close the gender pay gap.
Employment relations and the minimum
code
Recognise that unions are legitimate representatives of workers that workers benefit
from union representation, and ensure that
law and policy supports and recognises
the representation of workers by unions
regardless of where they work.
Ensure all workers, including those on
low wages, have the ability to negotiate
through unions, including at an industry
level and in multi-employer collective
agreements, for improved wages and
conditions, and have opportunities for
development and training.
Ensure that the ERA fully complies with
the ILO Convention 87 in respect of the
right to strike.
Introduce a legal entitlement to minimum
redundancy compensation.
Provide greater protections for casual
workers, contract workers and those with
precarious work arrangements generally.
Legalise collective bargaining by specified
contractors and extend minimum employment standards to these groups.
Increase paid parental leave to 26 weeks
and increase the payments.
Promote opportunities for an increasingly
diverse workforce, including older workers, disabled workers, migrant workers
and other groups.
Strong public services
Oppose user pays in public services.
Promote collective bargaining in the public
sector.
Ensure that the “good employer” EEO
obligations in the Crown Entities Act 2004
are properly monitored and resourced.
Oppose privatisation and public-private
partnerships that introduce the profit motive into public services.
Support transparent agreements which
entrench quality union- employer relationships in the state sector.
Women’s policy
Accelerate the Pay and Employment Equity Plan of Action and require state sector
employers to take respond to practices
identified as causing gender pay equity.
Increase paid parental leave initially to 26
weeks, progressively to 56 weeks, including 4 weeks leave for the other parent.
Family friendly policies to improve worklife balance.
Greater promotion and financial support
to recruit more young women, Maori,
Pacific and people with disabilities into
modern apprenticeships.
That the right to request flexible working
hours be available to all workers.
Economic policy
Introduce tax policy changes, including a
more progressive income tax scale.
Lift the real value of benefits, and index
them to wage movements.
Develop, implement and monitor a plan to
end poverty, with a particular focus on the
impacts of child poverty.
Inflation adjust KiwiSaver tax credits and
phase in compulsory employer contributions to all workers at 9% of gross wages.
Impose new capital adequacy requirements
and ethical lending practices on banks.
www.munz.org.nz
ELECTION 2008
Amend the Reserve Bank Act and reword
the Policy Targets Agreement by making
specific reference to the impact of a high
exchange rate on export performance and
employment; give monetary policy decisions to the Board of RBNZ; introduce a
more comprehensive capital gains tax by
reviewing current wording in the Income
Tax Act, and remove the ability to offset
expenses in rental properties.
Trade
Support trade promotion and fair trade
policies and practice that reflect a commitment to economic development and social
equity in New Zealand and internationally.
Not agree to any limitations on the state’s
ability to govern or regulate any area of
activity in the public interest.
Strengthen the New Zealand Trade and
Labour Framework.
Oppose commitments on Mode 4 in bilateral and regional free trade agreements.
Increase overseas aid with the aim of
reaching 0.7% of GNI.
Environment
Investment in public transport, home
insulation, solar water heating and other
energy efficiency initiatives.
Support a “just transition” approach to
climate change in respect of firms and
workers affected by emissions trading.
Work with social partners, tertiary education organisations and other stakeholders
to develop skills for sustainability and
“green jobs”.
Greater promotion of quadruple-bottomline reporting.
Industry partnerships
Establish industry meetings in all major
sectors to scope new and sustainable
industry partnerships.
Review the Textiles, Clothing, Footwear
and Carpets Strategy and support industry
development and modernisation in these
sectors.
Provide transitional support for workers
in the Textiles, Clothing, Footwear and
Carpets industry impacted by the NZChina Free Trade Agreement and other
agreements.
Continue to provide support for industry groups such as the Tripartite Meat
Industry Group, the Sea Change and
the Maritime Transport Sector Reference
Group, and the Horticulture & Viticulture
Seasonal Labour Strategy.
MSD Industry Partnerships should
promote decent work in all their engagements, build transferrable skills and not
subsidise training that employers should
be providing.
Occupational safety and health and ACC
The retention of ACC as a public agency
providing the full range of accident
prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and
compensation services.
The development of safe systems of work
within the workplace focussing on all hazards, including psychosocial hazards and
work organisation.
The development of guidelines on maximum exposure limits to substances which
are hazardous to health and the regulation
of their use within the workplace, including monitoring and enforcement.
The development and effective resourcing
of the elected worker health and safety
representative system with trained representatives having effective rights and roles
in the development of best practice codes
at industry level.
Industry training
Increase participation in quality industry training with particular attention to
increasing enrolments, completion rates
and the range of industries where training
is being undertaken by women, Maori,
Pacific peoples and those from lower
socio-economic groups.
Increase funding for language, literacy and
numeracy workplace initiatives.
Recognise the role of unions and workers
as social partners in learning for work,
including ITO involvement of workers/
learners and employers in strategic industry planning.
Continue support for Skill NZ and the unified skills strategy.
Investigate those sectors where there is no
current Industry Training Organisation
so that recommendations can be made to
ensure coverage applies.
Health
That cost barriers to accessing primary
health care are reduced and the significant
efforts to date to reduce user charges in
primary care are continued.
No further privatisation and contracting
out of DHB-provided services.
That a national hospital strategy, complementary with existing health strategies,
be developed which will focus on more
efficiency and effectiveness of health
services, greater cohesion and improved
co-ordination between hospital and other
health services.
That collective bargaining is promoted
throughout the health and disability sector as an essential part of developing and
maintaining safer, higher quality and more
accountable health and disability support
services.
That more attention be paid to improved
recruitment and retention, safe staffing
and healthy work environments, our reliance on overseas health professional and
the growing international skill shortages of
health workers and professionals.
Housing
Support housing policy initiatives which
recognise that the health and well-being
of workers and their families depends on
access to quality affordable housing.
Address supply issues through more state
housing, regulations against land-banking, affordable housing zones, incentives
for brownfield development, integrated
development of housing and transport,
and improvements in the supply of skilled
labour.
Introduce more community and healthy
third sector housing initiatives.
Transport
Complete the investment in rail, including
electrification and the development and
expansion of urban rail.
Amend s198 of the Maritime Transport Act
to ensure that domestic coastal shipping
is not disadvantaged in relation to foreign
ships.
Tenders for public transport services to be
considered net of labour costs with provision for local government, employer and
union participation in the setting of wages
and conditions and funding agreements
determined accordingly.
Implement the Sea Change strategy.
For more information and policies:
http://union.org.nz/news/2008/unions-release-electionpolicy-statement
MEXICO ITF MEETING
ITF OFFSHORE TASKFORCE
by Joe Fleetwood
Wellington Seafarers’ Secretary
The ITF Offshore Task Force Group Conference (OTFG) was opened in Ciudad del
Carmen, Mexico, on 17 September 2008 by
the local ITF Mexican affiliate and government representatives.
The chair of the Task Force Group, Norrie
McVicar, welcomed all attending the 11th
OTFG gathering in Compeche, Mexico.
The purpose of holding the OTFG in Mexico was to show the consortium of multinational employers which exploits the local
labour in the Gulf of Mexico that local ITF
affiliates have the international backing of
the ITF and all the international affiliates
that work in the oil and gas industry in the
world.
In attendance were around 70 delegates
from nations including United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark,
Norway, East Timor, Indonesia, Finland,
Russia, India, Brazil, and Mexico.
There are four new countries applying to
join the OTFG. This will be decided at the
next ITF Fair Practice Committee meeting
held early next year.
I delivered an indepth country report on
the steady growth of the New Zealand oil
and gas industry. I noted the joint Union Memorandum of Understanding we
have signed with the EPMU for our own
offshore, and the contribution MUNZ can
and will make if accepted as a member of
the ITF Offshore Task Force Group.
Our brothers and sisters have a very hard
time ahead with the continual struggle to
organise and secure decent wages and conditions for the workers in the Gulf.
One of the richest industries in the world
wants to pay a pittance in return for massive profits.
There are approximately 55,000 workers
on individual contracts in the Gulf with
about 3% entitled to have a recognised collective agreement.
There is a massive problem with low union membership made worse by “Unions
of Convenience”, commonly known in our
neck of the woods as Yellow Associations.
These organizations are set up by a lawyer
who will charge the company US$500
per month, multiplied by 3000 individual
agreements, equalling a lot of money made
by leeching and preying on the working
class.
Inside these disgraceful contracts the
workers are made to presign their own
termination papers so the employer can
dispose of them when they want.
These are the kind of people we are up
against in the corporate capitalist system.
There is a massive problem with the lack
of enforceable health and safety rules and
regulations with many workers maimed
and killed, with little or no compensation.
Billions of dollars come out of the Gulf and
nothing goes into the infrastructure for
helping the people of Mexico.
There are many maritime incidents that are
not reported, and few marine inspections.
Health and safety
Other discussion included the need for
world training in industry modules.
Why is this is necessary? In the North Sea,
four oil rig disasters resulted in deaths of
22, 167, 11 and 123 workers.
As a result, the North Sea now has the
strictest health and safety rules and regulations in the world.
We discussed collective bargaining, the
development of areas like East Timor,
Indonesia and Nigeria, all with massive
natural resources.
There is a necessity to get all the genuine
unions in our industry working together,
and we need to address the world wide
problem of Yellow Associations.
An ITF diving agreement based on UK
document as a bench mark was also discussed.
Country reports and developments.
MUA Assistant Secretary Mick Doleman
was elected as the chair for the Pacific
Indonesian region.
There was a meeting of the Timor Leste
(East Timor) regional group, which
includes MUNZ, the MUA, Norway,
Indonesia, Timor Leste and the ITF, and
Singapore has been invited to join.
I would like to thank the ITF Mexican
affiliate for hosting the OTFG and there
great hospitality. On behalf of the Maritime Union of New Zealand, thank you.
www.munz.org.nz
HIGHER WAGES
Higher wages:
worth voting for
New Zealand can achieve a high wage,
high skill and highly productive economy.
The best way to get there is through rising
real wages, a decent minimum wage, collective bargaining and higher productivity.
Productivity is rising but real wages are
not. Structural changes are needed to
break out of the low wage rut.
The Labour Government has been moving
in the right direction, setting a positive
example in the public sector.
But National is offering a quick fix of large
tax cuts and wages stuck on “low” into the
long term. But tax cuts are no substitute
for wage increases.
Without higher wages, there is no incentive for employees to work smarter or for
employers to invest in technology and
training.
The CTU has a six-point plan to break the
mould and propel all New Zealanders
toward a more prosperous future.
Increase the minimum wage to at least $15ph
Lifting the minimum wage won’t cost
jobs as National claims because demand
for labour is still strong. In fact, when the
minimum wage for 16 and 17 year olds
rose by 41 percent over two years, these
young people went out and worked more
hours.
More collective bargaining
For historic reasons, employers fear collective bargaining, yet without it, New
Zealand can’t move out of the low wagelow skill trap.
Employers know they need industry strategies for export promotion, skills development and innovation. But they are slow to
realise the benefits of industry bargaining.
2000-04: corporate profits rose 11 percent
a year
1997-2002: CEO pay rises 5.3% a year
1993-2003: average employee compensation rose 0.7% a year
Industry bargaining is widespread in
Australia. We need it here. And it needs to
be bargaining based on democratic union
processes, not a non-union bargaining
model to undermine collective worker
rights.
www.munz.org.nz Build union capacity
The low paid are hit hard when unions
can’t function effectively. Support for
unions could include more research,
expanded mediation services, funding
for bargaining initiatives and advocacy
training.
“Good employer” and “responsible
contractor” policies in the state sector
The state contracts out some huge chunks
of work, for example in disability
support and elderly care, but pay rates can
be dismal. The government needs to encourage employers who invest in training,
offer secure employment and don’t have a
record of unjustified dismissals.
Despite this, since 1988, labour productivity in New Zealand has increased by
around 42 percent – yet real wages have
barely moved.
Workers will not give their best efforts to
increase productivity if all the benefits are
kept by employers, including foreign owners of New Zealand firms. We need more
capital, more training and better workplace relations.
Close the gender gap
Women earn around 87 percent of what
men earn. Women are more likely to be in
low paid work, and in jobs where skills are
not recognised or undervalued.
Collective bargaining is an important tool
in reducing the gender pay gap.
Increased productivity
In Australia, productivity rose faster in the
1990s because wages rose and businesses
invested in technology. In New Zealand,
employers stuck with cheap labour and
old equipment, and many failed to invest
in training.
FREE TRADE
Who wins if we get a free trade
deal with the United States?
by Bill Rosenberg
As we have learned from the China FTA,
we would be foolish to listen uncritically
to the promises already being made for a
trade deal with the US. The US drives a
hard bargain.
As one of New Zealand’s most experienced trade negotiators, Dr John Wood,
has described the way the US negotiated:
“The United States’ underlying stance was
that the other negotiating party should
either accept its proposals, or adjust to the
reality of them anyway.”
In other words, take it or leave it.
The desperation shown by a succession
of New Zealand governments for such a
deal, plus our almost complete absence
of bargaining chips in existing tariffs, will
further undermine our weak position.
Figures of $1 billion in gains are being
thrown around freely. They are a mirage
and have no objective basis.
We can be sure that the powerful, highly
subsidised agriculture lobby in the US
will bitterly resist free access for our dairy,
meat and other agricultural products.
For many important products (like the
deal done with Australia) access will be
decades from signing, and by then many
other countries will also have access.
It will not be a free trade deal except in
name.
To obtain even such small concessions, the
U.S. will make demands in return. We can
deduce these from its official publications.
The U.S. government publishes an annual
report on “Foreign Trade Barriers”.
The 2008 report lists what it regards as
New Zealand “trade barriers” that it wants
modified or removed.
The Overseas Investment Act provides for
some screening of overseas investment.
The U.S. report states: “The United States
has raised concerns about the continued
use of this screening mechanism.”
Removing it would allow overseas corporations and individuals a free-for-all in
purchases of land, acquisition of strategic
assets on sensitive land (such as Auckland
International Airport), reversing the recent
regulation that allows the government to
scrutinise such acquisitions, and a freefor-all in purchases of fishing quota in our
economic zone.
Huge U.S. pharmaceutical companies
resent the bargaining power of Pharmac,
which holds down the costs of medicines
to New Zealand, saving us probably
hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The
U.S. report makes clear it wants to reduce
Pharmac’s power, and insisted on similar
provisions in its FTA with Australia. It
would also like us to lengthen the patent
protections on those companies’ drugs,
preventing competition for longer.
The U.S. does not like our caution in allowing the introduction of GE products, and
our biotechnology protections in general.
It has raised concerns in meetings under
an existing Trade and Investment Framework Agreement and will attack those
protections in these negotiations. Neither
does it like our requirements for labelling
GE foods.
Further demands
It also thinks our controls on agricultural imports to prevent entry of diseases
– such as beef with mad cow disease, and
diseased poultry – are too tough. It has
repeatedly called for those controls be
weakened. Watch out for further demands
in the negotiations.
One of the big costs to Australia in signing
its FTA with the U.S. was in copyright.
The US insisted on much more stringent
rules which would protect the profits of its
huge entertainment and software companies. Australian consumers, libraries, and
educational institutions all face additional
costs and bureaucracy as a result. The US
report signals similar objectives.
Services will be a primary focus of negotiations. The U.S. has powerful transnational
companies interested in further commercialisation of our public services such
as education, health, and environmental
services. The existing P4 agreement is
structured so that all services are opened
up in this way unless they are explicitly
excluded.
The U.S. will want its corporations to have
access to central and local government
purchases and contracts on an equal basis
with New Zealand firms. That counts out
use of these substantial purchases to assist
New Zealand’s economic development.
New Zealand companies will in theory
have access to U.S. government contracts
in return, but will in fact be facing huge
competition and a range of barriers at state
and local government level.
A new and disturbing development is the
intention to extend the existing agreement
into investment. As well as the effects
on our Overseas Investment Act already
described, this would allow corporations
to sue governments for compensation or
reversal of laws when their profits are
threatened. Hearings take place in secret,
before private tribunals.
Privatizations gone wrong
There is a growing number of cases that
have been made public which frequently
concern privatisations which (like several
of ours) have gone wrong. Governments
in North and South America have faced
numerous claims, and some in the South
are now withdrawing from these arrangements. Argentina, for example, which had
to take drastic action in the interests of its
people during its recent financial crisis,
has been subject to hundreds of millions of
dollars of claims.
These agreements would also further
restrict our ability to manage our economy
during financial crises such as that currently reaching a boil in the U.S., and make
both central and local government actions
vulnerable to expensive challenge in international tribunals.
Because this agreement will not only
be with the U.S. but also the existing P4
agreement signatories, New Zealand will
find itself with little choice in who it is
giving preferential access to when the
agreement expands, as is anticipated. In
theory it could do different deals with new
signatories; in practice it will have limited
choice.
In March, one of the world’s best-known
economists, prize-winner Joseph Stiglitz,
recently warned New Zealand off a trade
deal with the U.S.
“Most of these free trade agreements are not
good deals – they’re managed trade agreements and they’re mostly managed for the
advantage of the United States, which has
the bulk of the negotiating power.”
He said there was no real negotiation and
“one can’t think that New Zealand would
ever get anything that it cares about.”
New Zealand’s agriculture interests are
head to head against those of the powerful
American agricultural lobby.
Stiglitz warned: “You’ll lose”.
Bill Rosenberg researches and writes on international
economic matters.
http://nznotforsale.org
www.munz.org.nz
FREE TRADE
This cartoon is reproduced with the kind permission of Mike Moreu
New Zealand signs free trade deal –
with a regime that murders workers
A free trade deal that New Zealand has
signed with ASEAN nations, including the
military dictatorship of Myanmar, is bad
for workers.
Hanson says a free trade deal including
Myanmar will boost the violently antiworker regime in Myanmar and threatened workers rights.
He says the Maritime Union has many
concerns about the treatment of Burmese
maritime workers, some of whom work in
New Zealand waters, and who have been
mistreated and abused in the past.
The Maritime Union has previously
spoken out about the murder of Ko Moe
Naung, a Seafarers’ Union of Burma (Myanmar) organizer in the Ranong region,
who was killed by Burmese military forces
on on 19 May 2005.
The Seafarers’ Union of Burma is a fellow
affiliate with the Maritime Union of New
Zealand to the International Transport
Workers’ Federation.
www.munz.org.nz The International Mining and Maritime
Conference held in Long Beach, California,
USA in 2005 was dedicated to Ko Moe
Naung.
A statement from the Conference reads “in
dedicating this conference to the memory
of Ko Moe Naung we recognise the selfless dedication of the Seafarers Union of
Burma organizer Ko Moe Naung to his
countrymen and women and to the international trade union movement.
“The murderous military regime responsible for his prolonged torture and subsequent death on the 20 May 2005 must be
held responsible and be exposed to the
international community.”
Ko Moe was tortured to death over three
hours during interrogation at 8-Mile Village Army Base LIR 431 in Kawthaung,
Burma.
He was targeted by the Myanmar regime
as he was a dedicated trade union leader
who was organising Burmese fishermen
and migrant workers from Burma at the
Ranong area.
Free trade deals mean that New Zealand
is now effectively endorsing dictatorships
such as Burma which murder workers
such as Ko Moe Naung.
The Maritime Union has a long history of
opposing repressive regimes, refusing to
work on American nuclear warships in
New Zealand harbours and supporting
the struggle against apartheid, says Mr
Hanson.
“New Zealand waterfront workers refused
to load pig iron for Japan before World
War 2, which they were denounced for, but
shortly afterwards the pig iron was coming back towards us as bullets.”
He says the Maritime Union is extremely
concerned that free trade deals will
mean the use of short term, casual labour
imported across borders to drive down
wages and conditions, a problem that is
now occurring around the world.
INTERNATIONAL
FREE THE CUBAN FIVE
On 12 September 2008, the tenth anniversary of the unjust detention by the US of
five Cuban civilians, lawyers, academics, politicians, trade unionists and other
ordinary New Zealanders launched a New
Zealand committee for the release of the
five Cubans imprisoned for preventing
terrorism against their country and its
people.
The so-called crime of the Cuban Five
was to gather information about terrorist
groups that operate on US soil and carry
out attacks in Cuba.
Their actions helped prevent terrorist actions and protected innocent civilians.
On 4 June 2008 the 11th Circuit Court of
Appeals in Atlanta upheld the convictions
of Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labaoino,
Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and
Rene Gonzalez. This led to protests in the
US and around the world.
On 2 September 2008, the full panel of
the Atlanta Court of Appeals denied the
defence request for a full-panel hearing to
reconsider the Court’s 4 June decision in
the case of the Cuban Five.
The 4 June decision upheld the guilty
verdicts of the Cuban Five, reaffirmed the
sentences of Gerardo (two life sentences,
plus 15 years) and Rene (15 years), and
ordered Judge Joan Lenard in Miami to
initiate a process leading to new sentences
for Ramon, Antonio and Fernando.
The lawyers for the Five have until 1
December 2008 to ask the United States
Supreme Court to consider an appeal of
the case.
The Cuban Five were engaged in a peaceful mission to stop Miami-based organisations from continuing to carry out terrorist
attacks against Cuba.
Following their arrest they were held for
17 months in brutal conditions of solitary
confinement and near-total isolation to
hinder the preparation of their defence.
At their trial there was not a single page of
classified information produced showing
espionage or any action directed against
the U.S. government.
Without any proof, frame-up charges of
conspiracy were used to convict the five.
They were tried and convicted in an atmosphere of hype and hysteria in Miami,
Florida.
These men have been held in jail now for
ten years. Continuation of their imprisonment is an absolute injustice.
Ten years is too long. We urge the United
States government to Free the Cuban Five
now!
http://cubasolidarity.blogspot.com/
http://www.gopetition.com/online/21820.html
www.munz.org.nz
PORT CONTACTS
You can still
enrol to vote
– it’s not too
late
How do I know if I am eligible to enrol to
vote in the Saturday 8 November general
election?
Basically, you are qualified to enrol if:
• you are 18 years or older
• you are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and
• you have lived in New Zealand for one
year or more without leaving the country
There are some restrictions. These are
listed on the enrolment form.
You can pick up the form called “Enrolling
to vote: Application” from your nearest
New Zealand PostShop.
You can fill this in and leave at the counter
or send back freepost.
Or, freephone 0800 ENROL NOW (0800 36
76 56) or send your name and address to
Freetext 3676, and a form will be posted to
you.
Or, go online at www.elections.govt.nz or
ivotenz.org.nz
You can still apply to be enrolled after the
rolls close on Wednesday 8 October, but
you will need to cast a special declaration
vote because your name will not appear
on the printed roll that will be used on
election day.
The Parliamentary roll closes for printing
Wednesday 8 October.
This is roll that will be used on Election
Day.
Electors have up until the day prior to the
election to enrol.
People who miss the Wednesday 8 October
deadline to enrol will need to cast a special
declaration vote. This takes a little longer.
Letters
Kia Ora comrades,
It seems befitting that I write this article on
the anniversary of Mark Ross’s death on
25 August 2007.
I would like to use this letter to pass on my
heartfelt gratitude and thanks to the many
people that contacted and visited me in
hospital after the tragic loss of one of our
comrades and my best mates, Mark Ross.
I met Mark before I went to sea on the
Ngahere in dry-dock in Lyttelton in 1982
and we went on to ship-out on various
ships over 25 years
I would especially like to thank Phil Carroll, Fraser Thomas, Ihia Briggs, Darren
James, and the rest of the crew on the Geosounder, and Joe Fleetwood, for his many
calls and encouragement to ship out again.
The last 12 months have been a difficult
time for my recovery but I am now back
at sea.
People have made various comments over
this accident, like any incident you had to
be there to understand the situation.
I have the utmost respect for the crews
actions as all the training cannot prepare
you for the real thing.
This is the worst thing that can happen to
any sailor, more so being one of our own
members, so please be careful out there.
Michael Will 2655
“MUNZ – out of many people one union”
Whangarei
Mobile: 021 855121
Fax:
09 459 4972
Address:
PO Box 397, Whangarei
Auckland Seafarers
Phone:
09 3032 562
Fax:
09 3790 766
Mobile:
021 326261
Address:
PO Box 1840, Auckland
Auckland Local 13
Phone:
09 3034 652
Fax:
09 3096 851
Mobile:
021 760887
Address:
PO Box 2645, Auckland
Mount Maunganui
Phone: 07 5755 668
Fax:
07 5759 043
Mobile:
0274 782308
Address:
PO Box 5121, Mt. Maunganui
Gisborne Local 38 Mobile: 025 6499697
Address:
5 Murphy Road,Gisborne
New Plymouth
Mobile:
021 479269
Address:
PO Box 659, New Plymouth
Napier
Phone/Fax: Mobile:
Address:
Email: 06 8358 622
027 6175441
PO Box 70, Napier
[email protected]
Wellington Seafarers
Phone: 04 3859 288
Fax:
04 3848 766
Mobile:
021 364649
Address:
PO Box 27004, Wellington
Wellington Waterfront
Phone: 04 8017 619
Fax:
04 3848 766
Mobile:
021 606379
Address:
Wellington Stores and Warehouse Local 21
Phone: 04 3859 520
Fax:
04 3848 766
Address:
Nelson
Fax: Mobile:
Address:
03 5472104
027 6222691
PO Box 5016, Nelson
Lyttelton Local 43
Phone: 03 3288 306
Fax: 03 3288 798
Mobile:
0274 329620
Address:
PO Box 29, Lyttelton
Timaru
Phone/Fax: 03 6843 364
Mobile:
021 2991091
Address:
PO Box 813, Timaru
Port Chalmers Dunedin Local 10
Phone: 03 4728 052
Fax: 03 4727 492
Mobile: 0274 377601
Address:
PO Box 44, Port Chalmers
Bluff
Phone/Fax: Mobile: Address:
Email: www.munz.org.nz 03 2128 189
027 4475317
PO Box 5, Bluff
[email protected]
PORT ROUNDUPS
Delegates at the Maritime Union of Australia Western Australia Branch Offshore Conference, August 2008
At the farewell for retiring Wellington Central Labour MP Marion Hobbs, from left, MUNZ Wellington Waterfront Secretary John Whiting, Wellington Seafarers’ Secretary Joe Fleetwood
and General Secretary Trevor Hanson
www.munz.org.nz
PORT ROUNDUPS
Wellington Waterfront and Wellington Seafarers’ combined meeting voted on amalgamation of the two branches in August 2008
Auckland Local 13 executive members Carl Findlay and Dave Phillipps at the August stopwork meeting
PORT ROUNDUPS
ITF official Ake Selander, RMT (UK) official Steve Todd and MUNZ Wellington Seafarers’ Secretary Joe Fleetwood at the
Mexico ITF offshore conference
Wellington
Seafarers
by Joe Fleetwood
Elections
Brothers and Sisters, our Government
elections are getting closer and we all need
to have our say in the direction of our
country. Those of you that aren’t on the
electoral roll, get on it and have your say,
don’t sit on board your ships and in the
mess rooms ashore whinging. You don’t
have a right to whinge if you don’t vote,
stand up and be counted.
MUA West Australian Conference
The MUA Offshore Enterprise Bargaining Agreement and FPSO Conference was
held on 25-29 August 2008.
I was invited to attend the offshore conference with fellow international delegates
National Secretary of the Rail and Maritime Union (UK) Steve Todd, MUA New
South Wales State Secretary Warren Smith,
MUA Victoria Assistant Secretary Dave
Cushion and my good mate MUNZ Wellington President Mike Clark.
Many leading MUA delegates attended
to discuss and debate the renewal of the
Australian Offshore Enterprise Bargaining
Agreement.
The conference was opened by MUA West
Australia Deputy Secretary Keith McCorriston who welcomed all delegates and
then introduced all internationals before
handing over to MUA Assistant National
Secretary Mick Doleman.
Mick gave a thorough overview of the
Australian oil and gas industry and also
gave an update on the international scene.
MUA West Australia State Secretary
Christy Cain reported on the massive
boom happening in West Australia now.
The “West” is growing at a great rate of
knots and the WA branch is putting on two
new organisers.
They are Will Tracey, who has made leaps
and bounds for the ROV Operators by organising 160 out of 180 workers, and Mick
Canning who has done the same in the
tugs by signing all workers up with great
wage increases and increments.
Together with WA Assistant State Secretary Ian Bray, this gives the branch five full
time officials all working 24/7 to retain
and better all workers wages and conditions.
It was sad to hear that a very good comrade of mine and many others, Colin Moss,
an ex-member of the New Zealand Seafarers Union and current MUA member, had
passed away in the Philippines, gone but
not forgotten comrade.
Then on to business. There was debate on
the renewal of the upcoming EBA.
There is a need to address the accelerated
growth in the offshore for the next four
years, which involves many new players
in the industry.
Issues include suitcase stevedores, locking
down agreements with new Maersk LNG
vessels and pattern bargaining.
The MUA is becoming a registered training
organisation (RTO) so they can address the
labour shortages quickly rather than rely
on employers to train when they want.
What was apparent to us all was the
importance of protecting the Blue Water, as
so many of us got our first start at sea on
these ships, and the need to take back the
roster system, Norwegian swings, etc.
Mick Doleman and Christy Cain stressed
the importance of international solidarity.
This includes the ITF and the Offshore
Task Force Group, the Trans Tasman Federation that sees many MUNZ members
working on the Australian coast, the Mining and Maritime Alliance, and hopefully
the Trans Tasman Hydro Carbon Alliance.
Another brother union the RMT in the
UK has signed off on a Memorandum of
Understanding with the MUA and some of
the Australian offshore employers that lets
the employers bring down UK seafarers to
work in Australia.
This is for a six week on, six week off temporary basis while there are no available
Australian seafarers.
Steve Todd and I both gave an indepth
country report that addressed industry
and government issues.
The last day was taken up with a meeting on the FPSOs or “Floaters” which was
attended by roughly 20 delegates from
Australia. They debated the renewal of the
Floaters agreement, much like the first part
of the week.
Christy thanked MUNZ and the RMT-UK
for assisting with labour shortages then
summed up the conference stressing the
fact that Unity is our strength and the
youth are our future so we need to organise and get it right. To the WA Branch and
the MUA I would like to thank you all for
your hospitality and Solidarity while we
were in Australia. MUA Here To Stay.
Kiwirail
It is great to see the Government has
bought back the rail and ferries. This is
another step in the right direction for the
people of New Zealand.
Let’s hope the past legacy of Union bashing is now behind us.
We have initiated bargaining on the company and are in the final steps with the
bargaining protocol. All remits have been
sorted by the remit committee and are in
the final draft stage.
Once they are refined then we are into the
renewal of our Union collective.
Let’s hope the strike action taken by the
Merchant Service Guild to secure a collective agreement with this company is not
a sign of what is in store for us with the
renewal of our collective agreement.
United we stand – divided you crawl.
Free Trade Burma
The Maritime Union has spoken out about
the latest free trade deal that is being set
up with ASEAN. ASEAN is a group of
Asian countries that include China and
Burma.
The fact that New Zealand has signed a
free trade deal with Burma means that we
are now cuddling up to a military fascist
dictatorship which is responsible for the
torture and murder of one of our comrades, Ko Moe Naung, of the Seafarers
Union of Burma in 2005.
www.munz.org.nz
PORT ROUNDUPS
EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little and MUNZ Wellington Seafarers’ Secretary Joe Fleetwood sign off on the EPMU/MUNZ offshore agreement
This is a disgrace. In the past maritime
workers have stood up for political causes.
These included when wharfies refused
to load pig iron to Japan before World
War 2, against apartheid in South Africa
and stood up against nuclear ships in our
harbours.
Perhaps it is time we did so about free
trade deals with regimes who murder
seafarers.
Offshore
The offshore in New Zealand seems to
have stabilized for now. The Yarabah has
laid up in Nelson and the Pacific Runner
has just gone over the horizon which will
see more unemployed seafarers.
We are currently in talks with New Zealand employers over prospective work
opportunities, in conjunction with the
MUA and Australian employers on the
same issue.
Strait Shipping
The Picton Terminal seems to be rolling
on with little or minimal problems. John
Whiting and I will endeavour to be in
Picton to meet with our members soon to
sort out any outstanding issues.
The company has fallen into crisis mode
over the coastal ship Kent – for a short
time we hope.
This is due to past Governments giving big
multinational corporations the monopoly
www.munz.org.nz on the New Zealand shipping industry.
They have been holding Ports and our
home grown shipping companies to
ransom, awarding them with the coastal
contracts to carry cargo, then when it suits
them they withdraw their offer.
There is no social responsibility to New
Zealand workers and society, disadvantaging the New Zealand ship owners yet
again.
Let’s hope the funding inside the new
shipping strategy put together by the current government goes to the right people.
Amalgamation
The Wellington Seafarers Executive met in
mid-August to discuss branch business.
A lengthy discussion was had over the
formation of one branch in Wellington,
and it was agreed that a committee should
be formed to discuss the structure and
related issues. The joint committee met in
early September and it was agreed that a
financial costing of both branches will be
done.
The joint committee will reconvene on
10 September to discuss a proposal that
will be put to both Seafarers and Wharfies executives for their approval, then the
proposal will be put to the membership for
their approval.
The Seafarers Executive will meet at the
most convenient time possible due to the
members being away on there respective
ships, likewise our brothers and sisters on
the waterfront. The committee members
are Joe Fleetwood, John Whiting, Dave
Winton, Peter Stills, Bradley Clifford and
Mike Shakespeare.
Offshore task force
See separate report elsewhere in the Maritimes.
NIWA
All joint remits have been collated and we
are in the process of setting up times and
dates to negotiate and secure another multi party union collective for our members.
Branch clothing
The branch has t-shirts and caps for sale
with the branch and union logo on, so be
in quick or miss out. Proud To Be Union.
Delegate System
We are a proud and militant union and our
delegates on board our ships and wharves
should be commended for the tireless
work they put into defending their collective agreements. Kia Kaha (be strong).
PORT ROUNDUPS
Auckland Seafarers’ Branch members Paul Turley (left) and Daniel Staley on the bridge, Fullers Auckland harbour ferry (photo by Victor Billot)
Auckland Seafarers’ Branch stopwork meeting, Monday 11 August 2008 (photo by Victor Billot)
www.munz.org.nz
PORT ROUNDUPS
Auckland
Seafarers
by Garry Parsloe
National Vice President.
On 18 August 2008 the Maritime Union
of Australia, the Maritime Union of New
Zealand and Sea-Tow management met in
Sydney.
Peter Dunlop (Manager Sea-Tow) gave an
overview of the direction that his company
wants to go.
They have now secured a partner in the
International but have kept all their New
Zealand work within Sea-Tow New Zealand Limited.
The parties had a lengthy discussion
around Sea-Tow’s current work and SeaTow’s probable work coverage on the
Australian coast.
Two new tugs will enter the fleet immediately x PB Towage in Brisbane, Karepo
ex-Cook and Karetu ex-Gibson.
Additional equipment is being sourced to
boost the fleet further to take advantage of
the opportunities that are now available.
At the end of the discussions it was agreed
to have ongoing dialogue with Sea-Tow on
a three-monthly basis so as all parties can
be kept fully informed
Auckland Seafarers’ Branch member Mere Mock at Fullers Ferries (photo by Victor Billot)
Auckland Seafarers’ Branch member Jenny Neilson at Fullers Ferries (photo by Victor Billot)
PORT ROUNDUPS
Maritime Union of New Zealand Local 13 members at the August 2008 stopwork meeting (photo by Victor Billot)
Local 13 members Aubrey Slade, Ovava Takefala and Grant Williams at the August 2008 stopwork meeting (photo by Victor Billot)
www.munz.org.nz
PORT ROUNDUPS
MUNZ Local 13 members Jason Green and Alex Borger (photo by Paul White)
MUNZ Local 13 President Denis Carlisle (left) and Local 13 executive member Paul White (right) with Prime Minister Helen Clark at the 2008 Waterfront Reunion
PORT ROUNDUPS
Loal 13 members from left, Grant Williams, Roger Gilbertson, Mark Wallace, Waine Wolfe and Shaun Thornton
Local 13
by Russell Mayn
General Election 2008
It looks like it is all on for young and old
again as the 2008 General Election looms.
Yet at the moment it seems that New Zealand is drifting into the election with the
old slogan “it’s time for change” echoing.
I haven’t heard anyone say it outright but I
keep hearing the echo or is it the “Ghost of
Christmas Past”?
What is up for grabs is far more important than the promise of “tax cuts” or a
“leaner”public service.
Somewhere in the distant past I have
heard this all before and experienced the
pain and suffering that followed.
What is being purported as the way forward at present contains little substance
and I eagerly await the release of detailed
policy.
It is interesting that ACC seems to be in
the National Party’s sights as the first cab
of the rank for privatisation. Currently the
world is watching privately owned banks
and insurance companies being bailed out
by governments to the sum of billions of
dollars.
There are probably very complicated
reasons for the state of the world financial
crisis but underpinning this crisis was a
period of excessive corporate profiteering.
It could be said that excessive salaries have
been paid for what now looks like a right
royal stuff up.
The question is why would we want ACC
to shift to private insurance companies,
when it is obvious that the current management system is one of the best in the
world. This is not conjecture and has been
backed up by independent reports and
reviews.
What follows after ACC? At present it is
difficult to say categorically but if you
were having a punt you would put your
money on the employer subsidy being
removed from Kiwisaver. The sale of
KiwiBank? If you were betting against
that happening, you would be backing an
outsider.
Then there is Working for Families, I bet
that wouldn’t last long under a National
Government.
If a National Government were to win
the election the “Pick Six” would be easy:
ACC, KiwiBank, Kiwisaver, Working for
Families, 90 day rule and increased doctors
bills.
Put in a couple of runners with good trials
forms like “Road Tolls” and the rewriting
of the Employment Relations Act and I
reckon you’re home and hosed.
The problem is the dividend you will
receive will be very similar to the one that
every working class family received during the 1990s.
The answer is to make sure that everyone
visits the track on election day, not to have
a punt on their future, but look at the fields
and cross out the no hopers.
The form guide for every worker should
be to look at the runners and their form.
Start with the jockeys and have a look at
their experience. No doubt in my mind
that the current Prime Minister is the form
rider as the rest are yet to prove themselves over the distance.
Then you have to look at the trainers,
doesn’t that open some debate.
A bit of research and the Hollow Men book
and movie is helpful here and the conclusion is that there are some suspect stables
around.
Then we have to look at the track or
should we be talking about the rail tracks.
After the privatisation of the 1990’s we
have had to buy back our tracks back just
so we can hold a meeting.
www.munz.org.nz
PORT ROUNDUPS
We want
your stuff.
The Maritimes needs
your photos, letters,
reports, news, views
and opinions.
It’s your magazine!
If there is something
you’d like to see in
the Maritimes, send
it to the Editor:
MUNZ Vice President Garry Parsloe (left) and Assistant General Secretary Russell Mayn (right) with Matrans tutor Ed van
den Hoek in the Netherlands
Next is the weight allowance: it seems that
National has decided that tax cuts would
give us a better allowance but really the
problem is the stake money.
During the 1990s, again the stake money
was cut and New Zealand workers fell
well behind. The real problem is that
wages in New Zealand have fallen way behind our nearest cousin Australia and the
gap between Australia and New Zealand
is increasing.
It is not tax cuts that are attracting New
Zealanders to Australia but the reality is
that wages are 25% better across the ditch.
If this is not addressed, then New Zealanders will continue to pack their belongings
and look to improve their lot.
National’s answer of tax cuts is flawed and
will not achieve a result. I suspect that all
that will happen is that the rich will get
richer and the poor will be left to fend for
themselves.
www.munz.org.nz Mail
PO Box 27004, Wellington,
New Zealand
Email [email protected]
Fax (09) 9251125
If National were serious about addressing
the inequality between New Zealand and
Australia it would have voted to increase
the minimum wage and strengthen labour
laws that allow workers to bargain freely
for a more realistic weekly income.
Not so: the track record has been to vote
against increases to the minimum wage
and what has been signalled is that they
will reintroduce the 90 day bill if elected.
This I suggest is a good pointer as to what
will happen with future labour legislation
and we will find ourselves fighting unfair
labour laws similar or worst than those
experienced in the 1990s.
The Union slogan for the 2008 election is
“Fairness at Work Worth Fighting For” and
is in no doubt the right one.
So come election day, first of all make sure
everyone at work and all your extended
family are enrolled, secondly, make sure
that everyone casts a vote, and thirdly
make sure that the vote is for the right
party: the last thing we want to happen is
another “National Disaster”.
PORT ROUNDUPS
The Sunny Napier II suffered a shift of cargo in high seas after departing Port of Napier in July en route to Asia, and returned to port to inspect damage (photo by Bill Connelly)
Napier
by Bill Connelly
Around and about:
The port is reasonably quiet at the time of
writing, but has its moments.
For instance yesterday we were supposed
to have an empty port and all of a sudden
we had two ships alongside. You certainly
need a crystal ball if you want to organise anything in Napier, be it a stop-work
meeting, or whatever.
Agreements:
C3: (Formerly Toll Logistics NZ Limited)
The Collective Agreement expires on the
31 December 2008.
Hawke’s Bay Stevedoring Services Limited:
We have just completed negotiations for
a Local Port Schedules for the permanent,
“B” register and casual employees.
Although we had to go to mediation, the
end result was acceptable to both parties and we were ably assisted by Maree
Wheatley, the Mediator, who gave us every
assistance to reach an amicable solution.
Election 2008
Safe access to vessels
Although an election date has not been
announced as yet, the Napier Branch is
backing our local Member of Parliament,
Russell Fairbrother, to win back the seat
from National.
Members have agreed to back Russell
financially and some members at ground
level are doing pamphlet drops and assisting when and where they can.
The membership should be aware that the
success we achieved on the Napier picket
would in all probability not have succeeded had a National government been
in power.
Where was our supposed Member of
Parliament, Chris Tremain, when his
presence was needed, nowhere to be seen,
but Russell led by example and was there
ever day. I do not wish to see all the good
things we have achieved under a Labourled government, for the past nine years, go
down the drain. Think hard of the gains
we have achieved and when you cast your
vote, remember them.
This has long been a contentious issue
even with the “Code of Practice for Health
and Safety in Port Operations” clearly
spelling out the way a gangway should be
safely rigged.
In October 1995 a Russian seaman was
killed in the South Island because the
gangway was rigged incorrectly and he
fell on the inboard side of the gangway
and was drowned.
This led me to ask the then Harbour Master, John Hazell, and the Maritime Safety
Inspector, Andrew Lo, about the accepted
rigging of gangways in general.
I said that as an ex-able seaman I was
always taught to rig the gangway with the
safety net slung from the outboard side of
the gangway, then under the gangway and
secured at the ship’s side.
This meant that if anyone was unfortunate
to fall off the gangway on the inboard side,
then the safety net would prevent them
falling any further than the net would
allow.
They both agreed with my interpretation
and notified all interested parties that
“ . . . Following discussions with Captain
Brian Satur of the Maritime Safety Authority we must advise that the ‘box rigging’
of a gangway net, while an excellent safety
measure, does not fulfil the General Harbour Regulations for a gangway net.”
www.munz.org.nz
PORT ROUNDUPS
They go on to say: “In all instances a
gangway net must be rigged from outside
of the accommodation ladder under the
ladder to the ship’s side.”
Imagine my surprise when Maritime New
Zealand, in a letter dated 29 August 2008,
did a complete turn around on their own
accepted Code of Practice and stated they
“ . . . recognized boxed net gangways as
illustrated by the International Labour
Organisation Code of Practice 2005 . . . as
an alternative means of safe access to ships
in all New Zealand ports.”
I contacted the General Secretary to tell
him of my concerns and as you are all
aware our members have been instructed
nationally not to board any ship where the
gangway is box rigged.
It is my considered opinion that ‘box
rigged’ gangways are, and always have
been an accident waiting to happen.
All interested parties in Hawke’s Bay have
been made aware of the Union’s stance
on ‘box rigged’ gangways and as a result
a greater emphasis on safety has been
achieved.
I hope all ports take a pro-active approach
to enforcing the Union’s stance on ‘box
rigged’ gangways.
Lyttelton
by Les Wells
Lyttelton Port Company has just moved
eight men up to permanent from PRPs,
with four starting straight away and the
other four when they build up the PRP
pool again.
LPC are also in the process of expanding
the terminal by pushing our conventional
stevedores out of areas they had work in
for some time.
One of the perfect examples of this is C3.
They have taken them from an area where
there was little foot or vehicle traffic to an
area where there is traffic going through.
I believe there have been a couple of near
misses in this new area.
Pacifica has been busy trying to keep ships
on schedule with the bad weather we have
had in recent months.
Hopefully with a change in the weather
things can get back to schedule.
www.munz.org.nz Port of Lyttelton
Memorial Wall
by Gary Horan
We are negotiating with the Council in
Lyttelton at the moment to erect a
memorial wall in the garden on the lower
end of Sumner Road.
This wall is for the benefit of families and
friends of people who have had their ashes
scattered at sea or have been lost at sea.
At present there is no place of remembrance or no record of these people.
The area will be landscaped with timbers
salvaged from the Lyttelton wharves and
have a very nautical theme.
After talking with local man Angus
McPherson, he offered to design a wall
that he thought would be unique.
The memorial wall will be made up of
individual tiles of about 200cm x 100cm.
Each tile would have the name of a person
and some brief history of them.
The concept we have is that all the tiles
together would make up a large picture of
Lyttelton Harbour and from a distance you
would not notice the inscriptions until you
get close enough to read them.
The Lyttelton Rotary Club and a few enthusiastic locals are undertaking the whole
project.
I got the idea for this wall when I was visiting Queensland a few years ago and saw
a brick wall with the names of people lost
at sea. I have always wanted some form
of memorial for my father who was lost at
the Chatham Islands in 1972 and for my
good friend Jeff Child, who after spending
all his life at sea died in 1991 and had his
ashes scattered on the harbour.
I think after the response I have got from
people that nearly all of the locals in
Lyttelton have had someone they know
buried at sea.
One lady who has a family tradition with
the sea told me she has five relatives who
have had their ashes scattered and she was
keen to be involved with this idea.
The support from the community has so
far been great with many offers of materials and support and we are thankful that
this idea has struck a chord with everyone.
The garden we hope will be a peaceful
place where people can go and remember
loved ones and that future generations will
be able to see what a great influence the
sea has on our community.
The reserve offers a nice view of the harbour and has easy access for the elderly or
disabled.
The second part of the plan is to have a
web site that would have a biography of
people on the wall with some history of
their life and circumstances of their death
and burial.
We would also like to produce a book of
the whole project that has the history of
these people in it when we have finally
completed the memorial.
I would be interested if any other members
have a similar memorial in their port or
town and would welcome any suggestions
and offers of support that are forthcoming.
The Rotary Club is handling all matters
concerning construction and finances and
the plan is to sell the tiles for a modest
sum and after any construction expenses
have been taken care of that any funds will
go back to the community in the way of
grants to local charities.
The whole scheme will be overseen by a
trust and we hope this will give the Lyttelton community a wonderful place of
remembrance and also fund some worthwhile organizations.
C3 Report
by Clinton Norris
August was a busy month with log ships
and the loading of logs into containers
along with our regular car, banana, container and fertilizer vessels.
We have just completed our award talks
with a slight increase in our wages and not
having to give too much away.
Our main gain was getting our GWEs
promoted to permanent 40/7.
Congratulations to Danny and Carlos.
I find it strange that the employer always
expects the employee to give something
away for a wage increase two-fold.
We have still been cross hiring skilled staff
from LPC and Lyttelton Stevedores along
with out of Port transfers. Our Social Club
recently held our mid-winter dinner at the
Lone Star where we all had a great night,
although I think most of us ate too much
instead of the usual drinking too much.
Congratulations to Danny and Jackie with
the arrival of their baby boy.
With winter almost over we are now
looking forward to the warmer and longer
days as we have had our share of rain and
snow over the past few months.
Congratulations to Bruce McLaughlin,
Trevor Wong and Clinton Norris for being
elected onto the Management Committee.
Lyttelton seafarers
by George Clark
On the Lyttelton Executive there are three
seafarers reps, Richard Casparis, Kevin
Moore, and George Clark.
There are around 30 seafarers working in
Australia currently.
Geo Bay, a seismic vessel, and Lewak Pitre
a rig tender will be working the Ensco 56
rig.
Pacific Warlock and Yeo Tide are working
Ensco Field 107 rig.
Western Trident, Pacifica Wrangler and Far
Grip al have 50/50 crews from MUNZ and
MUA.
We recently carried out an ITF Inspection
on a banana boat with Grahame McLaren,
all good.
PORT ROUNDUPS
Squash boat, Gisborne (photo by Dein Ferris)
Gisborne
Timaru
by Dein Ferris
by Kevin Forde
It’s slowly getting more tropical, and
we’ve had a lot of cool breezes from the
southerly direction.
The new port road is now in operation, but
not without problems. It was only open a
few days before log trucks broke through
the seal. I think there will be permanent
roadworks here.
Those visiting will note the change, especially those who remember the old freezing works as the road goes through where
they once stood.
As with most ports, winter seems quieter
although we have transfered around a bit.
Last trip was to Wellington in August.
We are currently renewing our first aid
and OSH tickets. All staff participate in
this.
Roll on summer.
Maersk is coming back to Timaru. However at this stage the port company are
not rehiring permanents but will be using
casuals.
We have been flat out with palm kernels as
a new contract started recently with a new
shed at Washdyke, with 400 000 tonnes of
palm kernels coming annually from Asia
in regular shipments for cattle food.
Entries for the interport tournament close
at the end of September, with the date set
for 8 February 2008.
Entries have been accepted for golf, fishing
and indoor sports (darts and pool).
The branch assisted with an ITF inspection
in August with ITF co-ordinator Grahame
McKean aboard the IVS Nightingale.
All papers were in order.
Mount
Maunganui
Tauranga
by Eddie Cook
Membership is growing and we are organizing membership cards for all members.
The branch has been in negotiations with
NZL and a few other smaller employers.
There have been mediations with NZL and
C3 over disciplinary matters, and we’ve
got some good results for some of the
members.
We have been getting assistance from
Russell Mayn and Garry Parsloe from
Auckland, which has been helpful.
We are holding monthly executive meetings and will hold our AGM in November.
Members will be informed about this.
Shipping has been steady with plenty of
work around.
www.munz.org.nz
PORT ROUNDUPS
Ports of Auckland, August 2008 (photo by Victor Billot)
The Panamanian-flagged Royal Forest suffered major damage in July 2008. Loaded by ISO scab labour, the stanchions at several hatches on the starboard side failed and led to the
loss of cargo in high seas on the northern coast. She returned to Marsden Point for restow and repair (photo by Steve Murray)
PORT ROUNDUPS
Port Chalmers
Dunedin
Local candidate
Retirements
Branch member and union
communications officer Victor Billot is
standing in the local electorate of Dunedin
North for the pro-worker Alliance Party.
Murray Gillon one of our longstanding
members is retiring. We wish Murray a
long and happy retirement and thank him
for his loyalty over the years.
by Phil Adams
Greetings from the South.
Things are starting to quieten down here
as we approach summer. The terminal has
started to quieten down just as the Port
Company has employed more staff.
Port Chalmers Stevedoring Services
continues to work fish, logs, fertilizer,
cement with some out-of-port transfers.
Port Otago recently lost the Southern Star
service, which will mean about 50,000 less
TEUs per year. Although the company
has told our officials there will be no
redundancies, it certainly brings home to
our members how volatile the industry is.
Negotiations
Sick list
Both Port Chalmers Cargo Services and
the terminal have recently ratified their
agreements for two years.
The terminal agreement, though not to
everyone's satisfaction, has kept the status
quo plus a good increase particularly with
the loss of trade for the Port.
Port Chalmers Cargo Services also had a
good result and we are now at the stage
where will start negotiations for the
casuals.
The sick list at the moment is John
Johnston, Les Kilpatrick and Neville Scoles.
We wish them all a speedy recovery.
Elections
With the elections upon us it is time for
us to get actively involved in putting in a
worker friendly Government.
National has said it has plans for industrial
legislation and for those who recall the
Employment Contracts Act in the 1990s,
these plans won’t be any good for workers.
Maritime workers must remember that
although the present government has not
been entirely satisfactory, we have had
significant victories such as Napier and in
keeping Mainland out of Port Chalmers.
These victories would not have happened
under a hostile National Government.
Worker friendly policies are the way to go.
We ask all members to attend political
meetings and put the hard questions to the
candidates.
It is of some interest that the local National
Party candidate is the son of a former talley
clerk here at the Port Alan Woodhouse.
Executive
The branch executive is working well
and all are taking an active interest in the
job. The branch are looking at taking a
couple of the exec members to our national
executive meeting in November.
We have also introduced them to our new
members at a meeting on 11 September,
which included an introduction to our
Union and rules and the advantages of
union membership.
With this in mind we are actively looking
at delegate training for exec members and
also new delegates, including Shane Priest,
who is taking over from Graham Wright in
the sheds, as Graham is transferring.
New pilot boat
The Branch President is settling in well to
his duties on the new pilot boat, Aramoana.
Davy has had only one small hiccup but
looks very good with his new uniform with
the scrambled eggs on the cap.
Queenstown Unit
Alan and Ian note the Queenstown Unit
is available on certain dates. Alan can be
contacted on 0212298726 or 03478753 and
Ian on 0273365298 or 03 4727216.
Recently we lost a long standing seaman
Farquhar (Jock) Stoddart. Jock also known
as The Voice was a popular seaman and
served the Union in executive positions.
We also note the passing of former exec
member George Berryman.
Our branch sends our condolences to the
families of these union men.
Sports Tourney
All those interested in going to Timaru
next year should let Winky know as soon
as possible.
Our October meeting will be our annual
meeting and a budget for next year will be
presented. We ask all members to attend.
That is about it from our Port, but I
remind all members that the next couple
of months will be important, please make
sure you vote.
Port Otago smoko room, 24 September 2008 (photo by Victor Billot)
www.munz.org.nz
PORT ROUNDUPS
Port Chalmers Dunedin Branch stopwork meeting to vote on proposed employment agreement, 9 July 2008 (photos by Victor Billot)
Workers and supporters walking through Mansfield Street, Newtown, Wellington, during the Maritime Strike, 1913
Photograph by Sydney Charles Smith (1888–1972), reproduced with permission from the S.C. Smith Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand
When you vote on 8 November 2008
Remember your history
Remember those who came before
Remember those who gave blood, sweat
and tears for the generations to come
Vote for your class
Vote for the working class
Vote for a better tomorrow
Authorised by Trevor Hanson, Maritime Union of New Zealand, 220 Willis Street, Wellington
www.munz.org.nz

fairness at work - Maritime Union of New Zealand

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