Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union says that the treatment of a Ukrainian fishing crew in Lyttelton is a national disgrace and a prime example of the problems plaguing the fishing industry.

The crew have been on strike for unpaid wages aboard the fishing vessel Malakhov Kurgan which is laid up in the Port of Lyttelton.

Eight crew members remain on strike aboard after refusing a deal that 19 of their fellow crew members accepted.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the crew have asked for the Union to represent them, as they are employees of a state-owned Ukrainian fishing company working in a joint venture with New Zealand company United Fisheries.

Mr Hanson says the Union is unhappy about mediation that occurred between the Department of Labour and the crew.

“There seems to be a approach of divide and rule, and an intention of quietly getting the crew out of the country before further questions are asked about their employment conditions.”

Mr Hanson says the Maritime Union is concerned that the crew members who accepted the deal did because of pressure coming from their employers in the Ukraine.

“The Maritime Union has written evidence from the crew that shows these workers have been put under pressure from their Ukrainian employers, and we are asking for evidence that all workers aboard the Malakhov Kurgan have been paid the minimum wage for their work while in New Zealand waters.”

Mr Hanson says the the Union has run out of patience with the fishing industry.

He says the Department of Labour has distributed multilingual leaflets to overseas fishing vessel crews telling them they are entitled to the same working conditions as New Zealanders.

“We are of the opinion that the Department of Labour should be following up their leaflets and enforcing the law with regard to this group of workers.”

Mr Hanson says the New Zealand Government must ensure that the workers are not victimized when they return home, and says the solution is for proper employment agreements under New Zealand law to be signed by all fishing crew before they arrive in New Zealand waters.

The Maritime Union says that a group of Ukrainian fishermen in Lyttelton are victims of the lack of regulation of the fishing industry.

The 27 crew members are currently onboard the FV Malakhov Kurgan in the port of Lyttelton where they are refusing to leave until they are paid backpay owing to them, and held a picket this morning at the gates of the port.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the 27 crew members have not been paid the correct wages for the time they have worked.

He says a further group of fishermen were sent home after accepting a lumpsum payment, but the Maritime Union has concerns about the way the situation has been handled, and the message this is giving fishing companies and charterers.

Mr Hanson says it appears that crew members have been threatened that they may be jailed when they return home unless they give up their claim.

He says the Maritime Union will support the crew and is doing what it can to resolve the situation in a positive way for them.

The two Unions representing port workers in New Zealand have come out against a proposed deal that would see the Port of Lyttelton pass into effective control of multinational corporate Hutchison.

The Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) and the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) are working together to promote local control of the port.

Rail and Maritime Transport Union General Secretary Wayne Butson says the sell-off means a vital piece of New Zealand infrastructure will be effectively going into overseas control, with serious repercussions for the New Zealand economy.

“The potential is there for the port to be completely privatised some time down the track.”

He says the deal is short-sighted, and will further place New Zealand’s export trade outside New Zealand control.

“The consolidation of ports and shippers into a few overseas operators could see importers and exporters faced with price hikes.”

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the takeover by multinational Hutchison has the potential to destabilize the maritime industry in New Zealand.

“Hutchison could use their international clout to provide business advantages for Lyttelton that other ports don’t have.”

He says this could mean the closure of other South Island ports, with a devastating effect on jobs and the revenues that currently benefit local communities through local ownership of ports.

Mr Hanson says there is the threat of casual, short-term overseas labour being introduced to the port once New Zealand signs up to the free trade deal with China.

“We are extremely concerned that a global operator like this, based in Hong Kong, will find a way to introduce overseas labour through the free trade agreements.”

The Unions say their concerns are widespread in the wider maritime industry.

The two Unions are proposing that the Christchurch City Council through its business arm CCHL purchase the Port of Lyttelton outright.

This would keep ownership, control and revenue with the local community and the people of New Zealand.

The Maritime Union is concerned that a group of overseas workers are living on the Lyttelton waterfront in converted containers.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says inquiries by union officials into the living conditions of five Lithuanian riggers in Lyttelton had uncovered a disturbing situation.

The workers were flown in from Germany to work on the Forum Rarotonga II while she is in dry dock for 10 days commencing 29 January 2005.

“This is a group of workers who are living on the waterfront, next to their job, in metal boxes sitting on blocks, and the situation does not seem right to us.”

The converted containers were initially to be three berthers but after union officials talked to the owners’ representatives they were made into two berthers.

The makeshift accommodation apparently has no electricity or services, with the workers eating on board the ship and washing in the ablution block on the wharf.

One local worker complained that these toilet and shower facilities had not been cleaned and were an “absolute disgrace.”

Mr Hanson says the situation appears to be a case of foreign workers being imported into New Zealand and living in conditions that would not be regarded as acceptable to New Zealanders.

“The Maritime Union is continually seeing these examples of employers trying to stretch the limits and dragging down conditions, a process which is getting worse as the importing of short term, casualized workers is encouraged to become the norm in New Zealand.”

Mr Hanson says he is concerned the flow on effect of makeshift accommodation could have on local workers who often transfer between ports for jobs.

He says the Union is trying to find out what regulations apply to workers being housed within a port or industrial area, and the health and safety regulations that apply to electricity, ventilation, and hygiene.