Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union of New Zealand says it warned for years that opening New Zealand coastal and trans-Tasman shipping to international carriers would create biosecurity risks from exotic pests.

Now the Union says it has sadly been proved correct.

Maritime Union Auckland Branch Local 13 President Garry Parsloe says the orange-spotted hadda beetle arrived via the Ports of Auckland and is the latest in a long list of pests to become established in New Zealand through ports.

MAF have decided it would be too costly to eradicate the bug which devastates crops such as eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes overseas, and which is reported to be likely to cost the horticulture industry $100 million over the next 20 years.

Mr Parsloe says that before 1994 large amounts of our shipping was New Zealand based, which limited entry points to many exotic pests.

However since the previous National Government opened coastal shipping to overseas in 1994, the large number of international vessels carrying cargo between New Zealand ports has increased the risk.

Mr Parsloe says the trans-Tasman trade once had many New Zealand vessels working on it, now it has none.

He says the Maritime Union, and prior to 2002 the New Zealand Seafarers Union, campaigned long and hard to keep coastal shipping and trans-Tasman shipping reserved for local vessels.

The Union supports cabotage, a widely used system which gives local carriers priority to carry cargo between domestic ports.

“The reasons for our strong and ongoing opposition to the so-called open coast policy is not just that global shippers carry New Zealand goods within New Zealand waters and pay no tax, but also because of the extra risk to biosecurity.”

A few bugs coming in on an international vessel can add up to tens of millions of dollars of damage.

“The leave it to the market mindset of the open coast policy has come back and literally bitten New Zealand on the bum.”

“We have opened our coast up not only to global shipping companies but to all sorts of pests which have quickly become established onshore, threatening our key industries and even health.”

He says that it was promised that biosecurity measures would take care of exotic pests from international vessels, but that has not been successful.

Mr Parsloe says it is not too late to put back New Zealand ships on the coastal trade and substantially reduce the biosecurity risk.

He hoped the horticulture and agriculture industries would support such a move as it would be in their best interests.

The Maritime Union says the budget announced today is a step backward for transport infrastructure.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the lack of support for the maritime industry is a glaring omission.

Mr Hanson says the abandonment of the SeaChange strategy to build up New Zealand shipping in favour of building more roads is a bad mistake.

“The Government has poured money into roading as the world hits peak oil and climate change. They are moving in exactly the wrong direction. Shipping is the transport mode of the future that is low-impact, environmentally responsible and cost effective in the long term, but has been sidelined.”

Mr Hanson says New Zealand is dependent on maritime trade, but has allowed its coastal fleet to be decimated by opening the coast to foreign vessels.

He says building roads is putting good money after bad and is only prolonging crunch time by relocating traffic jams around badly designed cities.

Mr Hanson says the Maritime Union has several key goals for a secure and stable New Zealand economy.

These include the public ownership of key assets such as ports, the development of a national ports strategy “KiwiPort” to get ports working together, the strengthening of job security by reducing casualization of jobs, and support for the development of New Zealand shipping.

He says it appears working class people will be paying for the instability of the global economic system, which served a minority rather than the majority.

“The simple fact is that the world is in the grip of a deepening economic crisis brought about by unregulated global capitalism. The National Party supports more of the same.”

The Maritime Union has announced its priorities for the 2008 election.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the Union wants to see the return of a Labour-led Government to continue what he describes as incremental but positive moves to develop the maritime and transport industries.

Mr Hanson says the Maritime Union is strongly endorsing the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (CTU) election policy document, especially regarding key issues such as wages, employment relations, health and safety, ACC, and transport.

He says the CTU has identified specific maritime issues such as amending section 198 of the Maritime Transport Act to ensure that domestic coastal shipping is not disadvantaged in relation to foreign ships, and opposing commitments on Mode 4 in bilateral and regional free trade agreements relating to the movement of cross-border labour.

“We want to see the return of a Labour-led Government which has the support of pro-worker minor parties in an MMP environment.”

Mr Hanson says it is a time of great challenges in a trade-driven industry.

He says it is a mixed outlook for the industry with potential threats to jobs coming from an international downturn in trade caused by the current financial crisis, but potential for expansion in the offshore oil and gas industry.

“A move back to a National Government at a time of international recession would create a repeat of the 1990s in our industry which saw the decimation of job security, a lack of planning and mindless deregulation that has caused a lot of downstream problems.”

Specific goals for the Maritime Union:

• New Zealand shipping. The Maritime Union endorses the Sea Change document but believes that rapidly evolving circumstances require a more ambitious approach. Cabotage for New Zealand shipping is not off the table. The commitment to New Zealand shipping in the Sea Change plan is seen as a good first step. It is back on the agenda for Australia and the option for a trans-Tasman cabotage arrangement could be considered. (NB Cabotage is where domestic shipping is given priority on coastal shipping routes.)

• Casualization needs to be addressed. The casualization review initiated by the Labour Government and New Zealand First has started the ball rolling. The long term solution can only lie in a regulated labour market. Workers are not commodities. The flow on effect of a casualized workforce is an unskilled, demoralized workforce with low productivity. The social problems caused by casualization are profound. A national register of trained, bona fide maritime workers is one option to ensure national standards and quality jobs are a priority.

• Free trade. The Maritime Union has criticized free trade arrangements on a number of levels. The ownership and control of New Zealand’s maritime and transport infrastructure is in danger of being transferred to overseas conglomerates and free trade will undermine investment regulations. The use of short-term casual labour being imported across borders to drive down wages and conditions is a major international issue that is not yet fully appreciated in New Zealand. The role of free trade agreements in undermining local control and secure work is a serious concern. The Maritime Union notes the relevant criticisms of free trade from the Green Party and Alliance Party.

• Port rationalization. The Maritime Union views the current system of ports engaged in mutually destructive competition as unsustainable. However the Union rejects privatization or corporate monopolies promoted by vested interests as the answer. A national ports policy needs to drive the modernization process, to get past the parochial approach of ports, and which retains New Zealand ownership and control of ports.

• Training. The lack of new entrants into the industry especially in growth areas such as offshore oil and gas is a serious concern. The young people of New Zealand have the right to training and careers in their own industry. The Maritime Union supports industry suggestions around the establishment of a training facility for this area. A career path for young workers is vital for both the industry and for New Zealand’s future.

• Health and safety. Phase out of Methyl Bromide.

• Public ownership. Support the buyback of rail and ferries. Support public ownership of ports.

• Kiwisaver. Support current Kiwisaver system while ensuring national superannuation is not downgraded.

Members of the Maritime Union are staging a protest today on board a vessel at the Ports of Auckland.

Maritime Union Auckland Seafarers Branch Secretary Garry Parsloe says the crew members started their protest on the trans-Tasman freighter Rotoiti at the Ports of Auckland Bledisloe Terminal at 7am this morning Saturday 4 November 2006.

He says the crew are drawing attention to the fact that when the Rotoiti is withdrawn from service on 26 November, it will be the end of the last New Zealand crewed ship working on the trans-Tasman trade.

“The vessel is going yet the cargo remains, but the jobs are threatened, and these New Zealand seafarers want to have some work in their own trans-Tasman trade.”

Mr Parsloe says it was not a redundancy situation as the work was still there, but would be going to other vessels – none of which have any New Zealand crew members.

He says the crew want jobs for New Zealand seafarers on the trans-Tasman trade and were staging their action to get dialogue with the employer.

The vessel is currently owned by international shipping line Hapag Lloyd but since 1999, crew have been under Anglo-Eastern ship management.

Mr Parsloe says the situation is a shocking one, considering the importance of shipping to New Zealand as an economically and environmentally efficient transport mode.

“We are in a situation where New Zealand cargo is being carried, but there is no work for our own people.”

New Zealand seafarers had worked on the Rotoiti since 1975.

He says that the national conference of the Maritime Union in October had committed to action on the issue.

The Maritime Union had been in contact with overseas maritime unions for assistance with the matter.

The Maritime Union has challenged all shipping companies to recognize their social responsibility towards New Zealand crews, and has determined to maintain New Zealand seafarers on vessels that carry cargo on the trans-Tasman and international trade.