Maritime Union of New Zealand

On Wednesday 23 December representatives from the Maritime Union of New Zealand, Auckland Branch, Local 13 met with Labour MP’s Trevor Mallard, Phil Twyford and Darien Fenton regarding the future of key Auckland assets under the proposed Super City legislation.
Local 13 President Garry Parsloe, Secretary Russell Mayn and Maritime Walking Delegate Dave Phillips expressed their concern over the future of the Ports of Auckland which is under the cloud of privatization signalled by the removal of the public referendum safeguard covering this strategic public asset.
Garry Parsloe said that a city the size of Auckland depended on a vibrant port to sustain future growth, and the benefits returned to Auckland ratepayers through public ownership were significant. Not only does the port return profits to the public but it supported industry throughout the Auckland region.
It became clear that a lack of planning for an integrated Logistics Chain Strategy under a National Government would lead to further congestion on New Zealand roads.
With the demise of the Labour Party’s Roadways to Waterways Policy a void has been left in the future planning for an efficient New Zealand Transport Chain.
Rail and Coastal Shipping would play a key role in reducing the “Carbon Footprint” going into the future, and a policy to retain these key strategic assets in public control was essential as the demand for exports and imports increased over the next decade.
The Labour Party and the Union agreed to meet early in the New Year for formulate a policy that would address these issues and the wider issue of all Auckland public assets.
Mr Mayn commented that the future of the Ports of Auckland had been placed in the hands of the citizens of Auckland and the actions of Act MP Rodney Hide and the National Party to remove legislation protecting the Ports without consulting with the Auckland public were reprehensible.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand has welcomed the release of the Labour Party’s policy for employment relations today.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says it is important that the policy has focussed on providing protections for workers in a time of global economic turmoil.

“The Maritime Union position is that we need to pay more attention to the job security and stability for workers, and this policy has taken these issues on board.”

He says the announcement of statutory minimum standards for redundancy is essential given the fact that the employment outlook would be worsening due to the international economic situation.

“The Maritime Union will be arguing that these minimum standards need to be realistic for workers.”

Mr Hanson says the Union is pleased to hear the Government will be working to improve the situation of workers in precarious employment, who are threatened by casualization and contracting out.

He says this is a legacy of the 1990s National Government that was still causing problems.

“We appreciate the recent work that has been done in this area by the Government and New Zealand First, and immediate action is needed to deal with the problem of insecure jobs.”

He says the Union looks forward to further specifics in this area which is a major concern to maritime workers.

Mr Hanson says the retraining policy, which extends financial support to workers made redundant after five years in the workforce, is a positive move.

He says the indexing of the minimum wage to increases in the cost of living and average wage is a welcome move that will ensure low paid workers are not left behind, but the base line level needs to increase to at least $15 per hour.

The Maritime Union also supports the new policy’s extension of the right to strike when employers initiate restructuring/outsourcing which undermines a collective agreement, as this had been a problem in the maritime industry.

Mr Hanson says support for multi-employer collective agreements is a positive, as this will reduce the downward pressure on wages and conditions in industries such as the port industry.

“The Maritime Union would like to move towards one-port agreements where workers are no longer the meat in the sandwich in a hyper-competitive environment.”

He says moves to stop freeloading by non-union members on union-negotiated agreements are also fair, but cautioned that there needs to be greater regulation of whether unions are operating at arms length from employers, as in the maritime industry there were several unions that he believed were not acting independently but it was hard to prove.

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.

The Maritime Union says a new employment Bill before Parliament is good news for casual workers.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says that many New Zealand workers are struggling with the insecurity of casual work.

The Maritime Union welcomed the Bill which featured increased powers for Labour Inspectors to determine whether workers were fixed-term or permanent employees, and tests to determine whether a worker has progressed from casual to permanent employment.

Mr Hanson says the Bill will also address issues where workers carrying out work for a controlling third party can add that party to a personal grievance, and specifies such workers must be employed on terms and conditions no less favourable than any collective agreement which covers direct employees.

He says this means that employers will not be able to avoid their obligations by contracting out work simply to undermine wages and conditions.

“We see this as a step forward in ensuring all workers are treated fairly and is part of the solution in stopping the creation of an underclass of casualized, short-term workers.”

The Maritme Union acknowledges the work put into the casualization issue by Ruth Dyson MP and Peter Brown MP.

Mr Hanson says the problems with casual work are widespread in the maritime industry as well as many other industries.

“Casualization is a major social problem. If a worker is employed on a day to day basis, with no security of income, they are unable to plan their lives or obtain mortgages or loans. This can have major impacts on family life, health and community activities.”

Mr Hanson says he would expect any political party that wanted to support New Zealand families would be backing the new Bill.

“We hear a lot from politicians about the need to help Kiwi families, and this is one very practical way that we can ensure hard working New Zealanders have some stability and security in their lives to help bring up their families.”

The Maritime Union has welcomed a Government announcement that it intends to improve protections for casual workers.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the Union has been arguing since 1991 that the practice of employing casual labour on the waterfront is degrading and unfair.

“It is similar to the situation of a century ago when workers lined up for work at the port gate, and many were victimized or refused work.”

Mr Hanson says peaks and troughs of work in the maritime industry have not always required supplementary labour to the permanent workforce, but with the disestablishment of the Waterfront Industry Commission in 1989 the permanent workforce had become increasingly casualized.

He says the situation has lead to casual workers on the books of up to four employers in their port, in some cases surviving for many years “on the end of a phone, waiting for a call.”

“We have cases in New Zealand of waterfront workers who have been employed in a port for up to fifteen years as casuals, waiting in vain for an opportunity to get a permanent job with the security that gives.”

Mr Hanson says these casual workers are denied training and a career path with future prospects, denied secure wages and conditions, denied regular hours, and denied the ability to plan their lives.

“The system effectively makes them second class citizens with bad effects on their working lives, families and community, as they work from day to day and have no ability to secure mortgages and a regular income.”

He says the responsibility for the current problems largely lies with international shippers whom play off port against port, stevedore against stevedore, leading to a race to the bottom as the easiest way to save money is through creating a pool of insecure casual labour.

Mr Hanson says the Maritime Union has proposed a solution that a regulated pool of casuals is established in each port that stevedores employ workers from, and draw permanent labour from.

He says the Union welcomes Government action on this pressing social issue but much work remains to be done.

Maritime unions from around the Pacific are represented in Wellington this week for the second three-yearly conference of the Maritime Union of New Zealand.
The Maritime Union of New Zealand has welcomed delegations from the All Japan Dockers Union, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) from the west coast of North America, and the Maritime Union of Australia, who have made presentations at the conference on industrial and political issues.
Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says several key themes have emerged from the Conference.
“We have committed to the fight for secure permanent jobs in a safe environment, for cabotage and a rational policy in the shipping and ports industry, and for fair trade not free trade.”
Mr Hanson says one serious concern emerging from the Conference was the exploitation of labour through the movement of short-term, casualized labour between and within countries under so-called “free trade” deals.
He says that the need for cabotage and the right to strike in support of other workers or political issues were other issues of interest for delegates.
The Conference was opened on Tuesday by Minister of Labour Ruth Dyson and addressed on Tuesday by CTU Secretary Carol Beaumont and Green MP Sue Bradford.
Delegates put questions to the speakers about issues such as cabotage and the concern of the Maritime Union about current free trade negotiations and the impact on jobs and conditions.
NZ First deputy leader Peter Brown will speak at the Conference today.