A public meeting in South Dunedin on Monday 12 July to support the campaign to build new trains for Auckland in New Zealand workshops attracted around 50 people.

The message they heard was that Dunedin people will have to stand up and fight to make this goal a reality, with this years local body elections and next years national elections providing an opportunity to apply political pressure.

Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) Hillside Branch Secretary Les Ingram, who works at Hillside, said an estimated 500 to 1200 extra jobs and nearly $500 million dollars in income were at stake.

“Dunedin cannot afford to let opportunities like this pass it by if we want to provide jobs for local people in the future.”

The RMTU were continuing their campaign and wanted to get across to the public how building rail units locally would provide a massive boost in jobs and income.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) is supporting the RMTU campaign and MUNZ General Secretary Joe Fleetwood, visiting from Wellington, addressed the meeting on free trade issues.

He told the audience that they needed to get behind the Hillside workers campaign and demand that politicians listen.

He said the push for free trade policies was largely responsible for the situation where jobs were threatened due to unbalanced economic policies.

Both speakers agreed that the notion that New Zealand did not have the expertise to do the rail work was discredited nonsense.

Mr Ingram detailed previous work done at Hillside and his view was backed up by a retired engineer in the audience who recounted the many large scale projects other Dunedin firms have undertaken in the past.

The meeting was chaired by Victor Billot of the Alliance Party who said that highly skilled, high value jobs that would be created through building trains locally were exactly what was needed in New Zealand at the current time.

The approach of the National Government was reprehensible, he said.

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Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says recent statements from Minister of Transport Stephen Joyce and retiring Pacifica Shipping Chief Executive Rod Grout on New Zealand ports and shipping show the need for immediate action in the maritime industry.

Mr Fleetwood says it is incorrect for the National Government to say they want market forces decide the future of the maritime industry, when massive taxpayer investment was directed at roads and rail.

He says that a “hands off” approach to the maritime industry means major market players would dominate the market and make decisions that could harm New Zealand’s transport infrastructure.

“The warning from Rod Grout that New Zealand cargo could end up being hubbed through Australian ports is a very real possibility, which would result in further loss of control of New Zealand exports and downgrading of our transport infrastructure.”

Mr Fleetwood says the Union is advocating a KiwiPort concept which would see co-ordination of ports at a national level, a level of investment by Government, and a planned approach to New Zealand’s transport needs.

He says an example of the much promoted “market forces” causing havoc are the moves by Fonterra to shift its products onto long distance rail rather than through local ports which had damaged the Port of Timaru in 2009.

“The path proposed by the current Government is to do nothing and let destructive parochial competition play out between our ports and a few self-interested big players.”

He says New Zealand has continued to be disadvantaged by its dependence on global shippers who controlled port trade.

“As a trading nation and a maritime island nation, it is irresponsible and short sighted to have no long term direction for our maritime transport industry set by the Government.”

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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 of New Zealand is hosting a public meeting on the future of the Port of Timaru. The meeting will be held at the conference room at “Robbies” (Hibernian Hotel), Latter Street, Timaru on Thursday 17 September starting at 7.30pm sharp.

All concerned local people are invited to the meeting, including port workers, unions, business, industry, farmers, and all those concerned with the future of the port.

For more information see the Port of Timaru campaign website.

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The Maritime Union is asking where the Government and the Minister of Transport stands on the future of regional ports after Fonterra announced it was withdrawing from some regional ports in favour of transporting goods by long distance rail last month.

Jobs are under threat, casualization is hitting workers hard, and the viability of regional ports is under a cloud after the decision, which has created intense debate in the regions and the transport industry.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the union’s national executive met with a Fonterra representative earlier this week.

He says the meeting was a useful initial step but none of the issues had been resolved.

“We want to see Fonterra registering the fact they have a social responsibility to the communities they work with, not just a narrow focus on short term benefits for their shareholders.”

However he says the Government seems to have “turned on the auto pilot and left the bridge.”

Mr Hanson says that no satisfactory response has been forthcoming about the impact of Government investment in rail and how this could influence pricing, but questions were continuing to be asked throughout the industry.

“The Maritime Union supports public investment in rail, but if ports and coastal shipping are not receiving the same public investment, then this cannot lead to the most effective solution.”

Mr Hanson says there has to be a co-ordinated national strategy for ports and transport where Fonterra had a role but was not able to dominate for their own benefit.

He says the lack of response from the Transport Minister is a concern as it appears the Government had “gone to sleep” on a major issue in the regions and the heartland New Zealand communities it electioneered on.

“This is bigger than Fonterra. We are talking about the future of transport in New Zealand and if we leave it up to the biggest player to call the shots, then the result will not be a good one.”

The Maritime Union is pressing for “social responsibility” from Fonterra and a national transport strategy that works for the regions following the meeting between the union and the dairy giant.

Mr Hanson says that appears some progress has been made in Port Taranaki with extra work being found for the port by Fonterra, which would lessen the impact of its sudden switch to a long distance rail option.

He says that it is imperative that similar arrangements be made with the Port of Timaru, where job losses and the casualization of the workforce are occurring, with the port reeling from the loss of more than half of its container traffic.

The following resolution was passed this week at the national executive meeting of the Maritime Union of New Zealand in Wellington:

“The Maritime Union national executive registers its concerns at the actions of Fonterra in its arbitrary decision to stop shipments through Timaru and Taranaki and also the effect this will have on all the other ports”

“The Union will continue to campaign for a full and proper discussion among all stakeholders including ports, maritime workers, farmers, regional business, local government and national government to ensure that regional ports are not disadvantaged by Fonterra’s decisions.”

“Further more the unilateral move to bypass the environmental and commercially viable option of coastal shipping, is of further concern especially when New Zealand’s carbon footprint is of real concern in the future of NZ exports.”

The Maritime Union of New Zealand was formed in 2003 and represents waterfront workers, seafarers and related workers throughout New Zealand.

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Cartoon courtesy of the Shipping Gazette

The Maritime Union has stepped up its demand for answers as fallout continues from Fonterra’s dumping of regional ports in favour of long distance rail – and the influence that state subsidies to KiwiRail may have had on any deal.

KiwiRail has waded into the growing debate over the fate of regional ports, as the implications of Fonterra’s withdrawal from ports in New Plymouth and Timaru becomes apparent.

KiwiRail chief executive Jim Quinn was reported in the Taranaki Daily News (29 August 2009) saying any Government subsidy was irrelevant to the Fonterra deal but that KiwiRail did need the subsidy.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says that the situation has obviously blown up in Fonterra’s face and it needed to be held to account.

He was not satisfied with KiwiRail’s answers and said “either they are being subsidized or not, and we believe there is more to this situation than regional communities are being told.”

Now the Maritime Union for public meetings to begin “active resistance” to the actions of Fonterra.

Mr Hanson says there should be immediate public meetings organized to bring together those affected by the decisions – ports, local councils, farmers, maritime workers, local businesses and all affected citizens, to demand some input into such decisions.

He says locals need to fight back against the destruction of these ports, and ultimately the damage to their regional communities.

The Union is also demanding answers from the Government as to how taxpayer funding of KiwiRail is being allowed to threaten the future of regional ports.

“The Government has the end responsibility here to step in for the national interest. To stand aside and let these heartland communities have their infrastructure and transport systems effectively demolished by a five hundred pound gorilla called Fonterra is showing that it either has no idea or the wrong idea.”

Mr Hanson says the both of these ports are capable of handling their local cargoes – without subsidies.

He says the money these ports have invested in infrastructure to handle Fonterra’s trade has effectively been flushed down the drain.

“The question needs to be answered – is the Government aware of any influence of subsidies on the price of the movement of cargo on rail hundreds of kilometres away from its regional catchment?”

“Both ports need to ask the Government to put Fonterra’s activities on hold until a true cost of their decision has been investigated.”

Mr Hanson says for some time there has been strong advocacy for the use of coastal vessels to move cargo out of the secondary regional “feeder” ports to major exporting “hub” ports.

He says this strategy has now been “blown out the water” without explanation or discussion in the industry.

Mr Hanson says Fonterra shipper Maersk needs to state its position as one of the largest shipping operators in the world.

“Maersk has described itself as a socially responsible company and will be very aware of the damage caused to regions and communities from Fonterra’s actions.”

“We have to wonder if Fonterra has other shipping options under study, and what effect this could have.”

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