Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union has renewed calls for inspection reports on the Rena to be made public and for clarification of what a Maritime New Zealand inspection involves.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says it is still unclear what type of inspection was carried out on the Rena in Bluff by Maritime New Zealand on 28 September 2011.

“Was this Maritime New Zealand inspection a full inspection of all areas of concern that had been picked up in China or Australia, or was it simply a chat to the Master and acceptance of whatever he said? Let’s see the paperwork.”

Mr Fleetwood says numerous issues with the Rena had been picked up in Australia and China over preceding months leading to the ship being detained. These had included several safety of navigation issues.

He says the real issue is the power of ship operators and charterers, and inadequate controls by ports and national maritime authorities.

“Masters are held hostage to the demands of the charterers and owners, which is where the real responsibility lies, but those at the top are almost untouchable.”

Mr Fleetwood says one area which had not been discussed so far is how the hectic schedule of the Rena calling into multiple New Zealand ports in a short window of time may have caused crew fatigue.

“There is massive pressure on crews coming on from charterers and owners. Will charges be laid at the highest level or will the crew be made to be scapegoats while the big boys walk free and the taxpayer carries the cost of the clean up?”

Mr Fleetwood says he is concerned about the removal of crew members of the Rena from New Zealand.

He does not accept on face value the claim that this is for the crews own safety, as New Zealand had a police force that presumably was able to look after a few crew members.

“Our experience in the fishing and maritime industry is that agents and charterers, acting in concert with the authorities, are often in a huge hurry to get crews out of the country in similar situations to this.”

“We believe this is largely to do with minimizing the publicity and possibility of legal action. Is this another smother up going on here?”

Mr Fleetwood says the Filipino community should have nothing to fear following the Rena disaster, after reports of concerns for their safety.

“I have never heard anything so stupid than New Zealanders who want to blame Filipinos for this disaster. Most of the crew on the ship have no control over its navigation, and at this stage the arrested officers have not been convicted of anything, let alone people who aren’t anything to do with the ship.”

Mr Fleetwood says if people wanted to vent their frustration, it should be done in a strong and forceful way at the present and past New Zealand Governments and authorities who have allowed substandard flag of convenience vessels to continually trade on the New Zealand coast.

He says people interested in the background of the shipping issues should check out the MUNZ website (www.munz.org.nz) and the flag of convenience information on the website of the International Transport Workers Federation (www.itfglobal.org)

ENDS

For more information contact Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood on 021364649

The Maritime Union is backing rallies in New Zealand ports over the next week to end the use of methyl bromide.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says maritime workers want to see the toxic gas taken out of use.

“The time is up for methyl bromide and New Zealand needs to be moving into line with where the world is going.”

He says the Union is part of a new Coalition Against the use of Methyl Bromide bringing together workers, environmental groups, political parties and community organizations.

Methyl bromide is used in ports and aboard ships to fumigate logs for pests but most of New Zealand’s major trading partners will accept other treatments.

Methyl bromide also harms the ozone layer, and is being phased out internationally under the Montreal Protocol.

Mr Fleetwood says the deaths of six port workers in Nelson from motor neuron disease has led to ongoing debate about possible links with methyl bromide.

He says that further research is being carried out on the effects of methyl bromide on human health, and there was cause for concern.

He says the Maritime Union is very concerned that businesses profiting from methyl bromide use and Government agencies have been too closely linked up until 2009 through the STIMBR group.

“It seems once again that profit has taken priority over the safety of workers, communities and environment.”

Protests taking place at the ports of Picton, Wellington and Tauranga will highlight the large amount of methyl bromide gas that is being used at these ports, and the risk this poses to worker’s health and the ozone layer.

Protest Schedule

Picton

Date: Friday April 23
Time: 12.00
Location: Shakespeare Bay Lookout
Map – http://bit.ly/9tNucR

Wellington

Date: Monday April 26
Time: 12.00
Location: The footpath outside of the Bluebridge entrance
Map – http://bit.ly/9MqJ2R

Tauranga

Date: Wednesday April 28
Time: 12.00
Location: Corner of Totara St and Hull Rd. It is the first intersection from the wharf.
Map – http://bit.ly/aZW3US

Members of the Coalition are:

Soil and Health Association of New Zealand
The Green Party
Rail and Maritime Transport Union
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
The Safe Food Campaign
Guardian of the Sounds
Pesticide Action Network Aotearoa New Zealand
Maritime Union of New Zealand
Friends of Nelsonhaven and Tasman Bay
The Alliance Party

The Maritime Union is backing Green Party calls for the Government to reconsider its push to put oversized trucks on New Zealand roads.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the Government is obviously not concerned at the extra deaths and injuries that will occur as a result on New Zealand roads.

“Has the Government considered the personal losses and increased costs in medical care and ACC payments resulting from accidents? Has it weighed the environmental costs and calculated the extra emissions that juggernaut trucks will produce?”

Mr Hanson says local ratepayers will be paying the bill to realign bridges, repair roads, and be responsible for all the future damage caused by the introduction of bigger trucks.

“Large trucking companies seem to be pulling the Government’s strings and their profits are being subsidized by the taxpayer and the ratepayer.”

He says the Government has abdicated its responsibility by completely abandoning any attempt to develop an integrated, long term transport solution for New Zealand that recognizes the economic, social and environmental importance of coastal shipping and thriving regional ports.

“Coastal shipping requires no infrastructure upkeep – by sailing on the ‘blue highway’ it does away with the need for the vast expense of fixing roads for oversize trucks.”

The Government has directed enormous resources towards roading but has slashed the already tiny budget for support of environmentally friendly coastal shipping.

Under the current direction, it is estimated bigger trucks will make at least 620,000 trips on our roads each year.

Mr Hanson says coastal ships can carry 1000 containers, keep extra traffic off roads, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, lower carbon emissions, are noise free and require no infrastructure maintenance as they sail on the ‘blue highway’.

“The Government has reverted to a backward looking, short term approach which will have major negative consequences for New Zealand. New Zealanders must start to get active to defend their future before we are locked into the roadhog’s charter.”

The Maritime Union of New Zealand has slammed Government proposals to allow larger and heavier trucks on New Zealand roads as irresponsible and short-sighted.

The Union says New Zealand needs to promote low-impact, environmentally efficient modes such as coastal shipping and rail to handle the growth in freight, not bigger trucks.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Trevor Hanson says proposed changes to land transport rules would see larger, heavier trucks dominating New Zealand roads for years to come.

“Roads will become more dangerous and more crowded leading to more and worse accidents – more blood on the road.”

He says using coastal shipping for heavy goods would make roads safer as there were already many accidents involving trucks on New Zealand roads.

Public submissions on the Government proposal close this week.

Mr Hanson says the trucking plan is doubly short sighted as increases in fuel costs and emissions will soon hit New Zealand hard, and road transport is the least preferable option.

He says the Government appears to be “living in a fantasy world.”

“Every day you can read in the newspaper that reliance on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions are placing us in severe danger, yet the Government wants to make us more dependent on outmoded and harmful transport modes such as big trucks.”

“Ordinary New Zealanders will end up subsidizing the increased charges for transport and the costs of repairing the damage to our roads from heavier use.”

The Union says that it will be difficult to upgrade all New Zealand roads and the impact of massive trucks on small rural roads would be especially serious.

Mr Hanson says if the plan goes ahead it would “torpedo” any hopes of a modern, integrated transport system for New Zealand.

“Pushing mega-trucks as the basis of transport in New Zealand is really a backwards step that will have negative effects in the medium to long term.”

“Rising fuel costs and environmental pressures are already major problems, and will soon cancel out any so-called productivity gains.”

The Maritime Union represents workers on the New Zealand waterfront, and in the New Zealand shipping and offshore industry.

The Government proposals can be viewed here

The Maritime Union says its members will refuse to work with any Japanese ship involved in whaling that visits a New Zealand port.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the Union supports the two environmental groups Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd in their attempts to end Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Mr Hanson says the escalating situation increased the potential for Japanese ships and planes involved in the whaling operation to visit New Zealand.

“Maritime unionists will not be working those ships.”

He says the Maritime Union sees the whaling issue as a part of a wider maritime crisis with overfishing, exploitation of maritime workers and “flag of convenience” shipping.

Mr Hanson says that when the polite approach fails, the use of non-violent direct action is the best method.

“In many cases the exploitation of the maritime environment goes hand in hand with the mistreatment of maritime workers, but because it is out of sight, out of mind off the coast, it is easy to ignore.”

He says the New Zealand Government should send a frigate to observe and provide moral support for the protests.

“The Japanese whalers are trying to bluff their way through, but a strong united message now could be the final push needed to end this practice.”