Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union of New Zealand says New Zealand workers have to get ready for a serious and long term battle to defend public services.
Maritime Union General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says there are clear indications the National Government intends to drain resources from public services and create more unemployment.
A speech by Finance Minister Bill English today to the Institute of Public Administration outlined the National Government’s plan of so-called austerity measures and an ongoing assault on public services.
Mr Fleetwood says last years tax cuts for the wealthy have now been confirmed as irresponsible and unaffordable.
“This is austerity for the workers to pay for handouts for those travelling first class.”
“The Finance Minister has said that he will cut so-called ‘nice to have’ services. The Maritime Union says that now is the time to reverse the tax cuts that are ‘nice to have’ for those on upper incomes, like John Key and Bill English.”
Mr Fleetwood said the response of New Zealand should be to copy workers in the UK, USA, Ireland and France who have strongly resisted attacks on public services and workers in those services.
“At this time, New Zealand needs strong, well-resourced public services and state investment to rebuild from natural disasters and to tackle unemployment which remains at serious levels.”
He says the National Government now intends to further starve public services of resources in order to pay for the “sports car and champagne” tax cuts to their friends.
The Maritime Union would play a leading role in defending public services and workers from any attacks by the Government.

New Zealand union representatives will rally on Thursday 17 February 2011 outside the Mexican Embassy in Wellington at 12.30pm in support of Mexican workers’ rights as part of an international week of solidarity actions.

The participating unions will be the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU), Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ), Service and Food Workers’ Union (SFWU), National Distribution Union (NDU), Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU), Financial Sector Union (Finsec) and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (CTU).

Representatives will also seek to present a letter to the Charge D’Affaires at the Embassy urging the Mexican government to recognise workers’ rights and comply with UN ILO Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association.

The Mexican Embassy is located at 187 Featherston Street.

The Maritime Union says the planned privatization of key public assets must be stopped.

The Prime Minister announced today the National Government were planning partial sales of key state assets.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the loss of further public assets would be a disaster for working people.

He says the Maritime Union would campaign to protect the assets that generations of New Zealand workers collectively contributed towards and built up.

“There is no way we can allow the National Government to flog off any more public assets to their rich mates.”

Mr Fleetwood says public assets such as energy and electricity generators and Solid Energy should remain in public ownership.

He says that previous claims the privatization of assets would benefit “mum and dad investors” were nonsense.

“All New Zealand mums and dads are already shareholders in these public assets. The only beneficiaries of privatization will be overseas investors and a minority of the very wealthy.”

“Privatization is not a one off, it is a process, and National are trying to get the process underway that will end in the sell off of the last remaining assets we own.”

He says that guarantees that majority ownership would remain in New Zealand hands were not worth the paper they were written on.

Mr Fleetwood says that asset sales together with free trade deals would soon reduce New Zealanders to tenants in their own country.

He says the Maritime Union would be mobilizing in election year to ensure all New Zealanders were aware of the threat of privatization.

The Maritime Union says the Government needs to boost its monitoring and enforcement of safety regulations for the offshore oil and gas industry.

A Government review released last week found the Department of Labour inspectorate responsible for the sector is significantly under-resourced.

One inspector covers offshore and onshore oil exploration for the entire country, a much lower level of coverage than in countries such as Australia, the UK and Norway.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says it is a high risk industry, which is a major part of the New Zealand economy and will become a bigger part.

The Union was heavily involved in the offshore oil and gas sector, which had great potential, but only if the highest standards were in place.

The Maritime Union would be making submissions in response to the Government report.

Mr Fleetwood says the Maritime Union is sending a clear message to the Government.

Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee had stated the Government would like compliance to be “as efficient as possible” but the Maritime Union wanted compliance to be “as effective as possible.”

“Efficiency in our industry is a code word for saving dollars as far as we are concerned. We want effective compliance that works, and if doing it right costs more money, slows things down and is inconvenient to the Government or any employer, then too bad. The cost of getting it wrong is just far too high.”

The Maritime Union has been pressing for tighter regulations in the maritime sector.

“This includes all aspects of safety, all the way from correct use of gangway nets through to the seaworthiness of vessels and conditions of crews, and availability of response vessels for emergency situations. This extends through to the offshore sector.”

The number of deaths and injuries in the maritime and mining sector was high. The offshore oil and gas industry combined the risk factors for both industries.

2010 has seen a substantial number of deaths and injuries on board foreign vessels both in ports and working in and around the New Zealand coast and waters, as well as the recent Pike River disaster.

“We are a proactive Union – we want the regulations and monitoring to be at top standard before any incident, not in response to things that go wrong when it is too late.”

The Maritime Union of New Zealand says the decision by KiwiRail to offshore production of rail wagons is an indictment on the National Government and KiwiRail management.

KiwiRail has announced a $29 million tender for 300 rail wagons has gone to China CNR Corporation.

Maritime Union General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says maritime workers had supported the campaign by the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) to build New Zealand rolling stock in New Zealand workshops.

He says the idea that the move to offshore production would “save money” was idiotic.

“Any money saved by the public enterprise KiwiRail going for the cheap labour option in China will be required to pay for unemployment benefits, for our increased overseas debt, and for the loss of taxes and loss of spin off benefits for the local economy in New Zealand.”

“This decision will lead to loss of job opportunities, and is another blow to New Zealand’s ability to undertake high skill industrial production.”

Mr Fleetwood says that the Government bears responsibility and should front up to affected workers and communities.

“They change laws to suit Hollywood movie moguls and sink vast amounts of money into trendy sectors, but will not back New Zealand workers and the future of New Zealand industry.”

Mr Fleetwood says the message is clear for workers.

“The John Key Government is prepared to wind down New Zealand’s infrastructure and industrial capability in vital areas. There is no leadership in shipping or ports, and now no leadership in rail.”

“They call themselves a National Government, but they are governing in the interests of overseas business, not New Zealand’s national interest.”

Mr Fleetwood says that New Zealand’s entrapment in free trade agreements would further limit our ability for local industry and reduce New Zealand to an economic colony.