Union members at Port Chalmers are vowing to resist redundancy threats. 35 jobs have been put at risk after management announcements, despite Port Otago’s ongoing profitability.

A full report is online here at the Otago Daily Times.

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Today’s Timaru Herald features the Timaru public meeting this Thursday 17 September as their lead story.

Read the full story here.

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The Maritime Union’s comments on the effect on ports of decisions by Fonterra and shipping companies have featured widely in the news.

TVNZ reports that “the Maritime Union of New Zealand is calling for national co-ordination of port strategy, arguing that Fonterra is exerting such power as a customer it is effectively rationalising the port industry.”

The Taranaki Daily News writes that “Zealand’s waterfront workers and seafarers have savaged Fonterra’s decision to drop Port Taranaki, warning it has the potential to ‘rip the guts out’ of the port” following a “a bombshell decision last week, the dairy giant said it would be railing Whareroa product to Auckland and Tauranga instead.”

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The Council of Trade Union says a proposal to increase in GST would hit low income earners hard.

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The Otago Daily Times reports on the Port Chalmers situation as management continue to push unwanted plans.

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More news on why workers have not been invited to the Government’s health and safety discussion group – only corporate chief executives!

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The New Zealand Herald has an NZPA report on the situation of the Annapurna and it’s Burmese crew here.

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The Maritime Union says it is helping the Burmese crew from the seized vessel Annapurna in the Ports of Auckland.

The Liberian-flagged Annapurna was seized yesterday by creditors after it berthed in Auckland, following the bankruptcy of its owners Eastwind.

Maritime Union Auckland Seafarers Branch Secretary Garry Parsloe, who represents the International Transport Workers Federation, says the primary concern of the Union is that crew members are paid their wages.

He says the Union is ensuring that the interests of the 23 Burmese crew members are looked after.

He says provisions for the crew have been supplied as well as telephones, as some of the crew had not spoken to their families at home in months.

Mr Parsloe says he has an undertaking from the agents that a payment would be made to crew to assist them in the meantime.

He says some of the crew members had not been paid for up to a year.

Mr Parsloe says he was pleased to hear representatives of the creditors had indicated that crew wages would be at the top of the list to be paid once the ship had been sold.

He says the crew will either be repatriated with their wages or may be re-employed by a new owner of the vessel, which was their decision.

Mr Parsloe says there are often problems with “flag of convenience” ships and the treatment of their crew around the world.

ENDS

For more information contact Maritime Union Auckland Seafarers Branch Secretary Garry Parsloe on 021326261

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The Otago Daily Times reports on possible industrial action by the Maritime Union at Port of Otago here.

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The Maritime Union says it is concerned about proposals to allow workers’ holidays to be traded for cash.

Read the full article at the Otago Daily Times.

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