International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) New Zealand inspector Grahame McLaren says the case of 10 Sri Lankan crew members aboard the MV Charelle docked at the Ports of Auckland are an example of the hardships experienced by seafarers around the world.

The vessel and its crew were held by Somali pirates for six months last year, only being released after a ransom was paid on 3 December 2009.

Now a new crew are waiting for tens of thousands of dollars of back pay in Auckland.

The MV Charelle was inspected by ITF New Zealand inspector Grahame MacLaren and local Maritime Union of New Zealand representatives in Auckland in March 2010.

Mr McLaren says crew members were being paid well below ITF rates and even less than International Labour Organization (ILO) minimums.

Crew are awaiting a total of $75,000 in back pay, and have not been paid for 3 1/2 months, apart from a payment of $4,000 made earlier this week.

The managers have given assurances to Maritime Union of New Zealand Auckland Local 13 President Garry Parsloe that the balance owing will be paid within a week.

Mr McLaren says crew are due to be repatriated in the next few days and replaced with a new crew, but the ITF have advised them not to leave the ship until all outstanding amounts have been paid.

The MV Charelle is a general cargo ship operating under the Antigua and Barbados flag of convenience.

The vessel is German owned and managed by New Zealand company Tradex Marine.

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The Maritime Union of New Zealand has gained international and national support for its stand against management plans to outsource labour at the Ports of Auckland.

Maritime Union Auckland Branch Local 13 President Garry Parsloe says outsourcing and contracting out are regarded by maritime workers around the world as a tool for attacking wages, conditions and job security.

“That is why maritime workers at the Ports of Auckland now have global commitments of solidarity and support for our battle against outsourcing.”

He says last week’s meeting of the International Transport Workers’ Federation in Berlin, Germany, offered its backing to the Maritime Union of New Zealand and its members at Ports of Auckland and passed a resolution of support.

“This is basically the top level of organized labour representing global maritime workers who have lined up behind us, as they are not prepared to allow outsourcing and contracting out be used against workers in a major port such as Auckland.”

The ITF meeting was attended by Mr Parsloe and Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood, along with global representatives of dock workers and seafarers including the Maritime Union of Australia and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (North America).

Mr Parsloe is convener of the New Zealand ITF affiliated unions who have also announced their support for the Maritime Union. These unions include MUNZ, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU), EPMU, National Distribution Union, New Zealand Merchant Service Guild and Aviation and Marine Engineers Association.

In addition the ITF Offshore Taskforce Group representing global offshore oil and gas workers has offered their support.

“The Maritime Union has also secured the backing of the international Mining and Maritime Unions which met last month in the United States of America.”

Mr Parsloe says the national affiliates of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions have pledged their support to the Maritime Union, meaning that the Maritime Union had massive international and nationwide backing.

He says in short the Ports of Auckland management must reconsider their position on outsourcing if they are to avoid major repercussions.

Mr Parsloe says that the current Collective Agreement between Ports of Auckland management and the Maritime Union already has provisions for labour flexibility to meet the peaks and troughs of shipping.

The ITF comprises 751 unions representing over 4,600,000 transport workers in 154 countries.

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A meeting of around 150 Auckland maritime workers held today had a simple message for Ports of Auckland management about plans to outsource labour to outside contractors: “not this century.”
Maritime Union of New Zealand Auckland Local 13 Garry Parsloe says the high turnout at the stopwork meeting reflected the major concerns of workers about contracting out in the port.
Workers were not prepared to see casualization and contracting out used to undermine wages and conditions, he says.
Mr Parsloe says workers felt management had pre-planned the contracting out approach prior to the signing of the Collective Employment Agreement (CEA) in 2009, and their recent comments indicated would hide behind legalities to force the issue.
“Obviously there would have been no agreement if there had been any indication the company were going to go down this path.”
He says any future negotiations will be extremely difficult for the company if they pursued a contracting out strategy.
“Ports of Auckland management seem to have the unhappy knack of finally getting a workable document, finally starting to rebuild a workable relationship, and then kicking the whole thing over and stirring up problems for themselves and the workforce.”
Mr Parsloe says that the current CEA between the Ports of Auckland and the Maritime Union of New Zealand is a flexible document that allows the company to meet the “Peaks and Troughs” of shipping.
He says the reason why the port is not operating at full capacity is because the Company not made proper use of three shift a week guaranteed stevedores, known as Axis Ancillary Employees in the CEA.
“The shortfall in trained stevedores is creating large delays in cargo exchanges and it is now a common sight to see trucks backed up waiting for boxes in the port.”
“Outsourcing has little to do with efficiency and everything to do with casualizing the workforce.”
Mr Parsloe says the financial return to Auckland ratepayers from the Ports of Auckland had been substantial over the past five years, due to the efforts of the workforce at the Ports of Auckland.
He says that “parochial and destructive” competition between ports had resulted in shipping companies being charged unrealistically low rates, and management were now trying to “bleed workers” to make up the shortfall.
“Maritime workers are not going to have their wages and conditions attacked to prop up the profits of global shipping companies.”

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The Maritime Union of New Zealand says outsourcing at Ports of Auckland cannot replace a skilled in-house workforce.
Maritime Union Auckland Branch Local 13 President Garry Parsloe says any moves to contract out work by port management would meet strong resistance.
Ports of Auckland Managing Director Jens Madsen has claimed in media interviews that outsourcing parts of Ports of Auckland’s workforce was being driven by the need to handle peak demand.
But Mr Parsloe says the workforce currently employed by the Port Company are one of the most flexible workforces in New Zealand.
“Maritime Union members at Ports of Auckland work 24/7 in all weather. They undertake highly skilled duties operating heavy equipment in a challenging environment.”
He says the focus of management should be on maintaining its current workforce at a level where it can service its customers.
Mr Parsloe says Mr Madsen’s claims that outsourcing was common practice overseas neglected to take into account that it was also a common source of major industrial conflict between management and workers.
Maritime workers around the world were fighting outsourcing and job insecurity tooth and nail.
“We have no doubt outsourcing will be used to reduce the terms and conditions that our members receive under the terms and conditions of the Collective Employment Agreement recently negotiated in good faith with the Company.”
He says workers feel that they have been deceived by the Port Company management following major redundancies in 2009.
Mr Parsloe says managers were warned at the time that they would be left understaffed.
He says the current agreement contains the flexibility to meet the ‘peaks and troughs’ of shipping.
“The outsourcing concept from the Ports of Auckland management is about trying to cover a lack of skilled, permanent staff. If it is such a good idea, why not outsource the managers?”
Mr Parsloe says during the global economic downturn, the hard work of maritime workers saw an increased profit of $4.6 million for the Ports of Auckland.
The profit from the Port Company is returned to the people of Auckland through the Auckland Regional Council and has contributed over $200 million in the past five years.

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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.

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The Maritime Union of New Zealand says any attempt to privatize the Ports of Auckland will be met with massive opposition.

The Government wants to repeal a law requiring a referendum before shares are sold in the port as part of Super City legislation.

Maritime Union Auckland Branch Local 13 Secretary Russell Mayn says the workforce at the port is firmly opposed to any part or full privatization of the port.

“There is no mandate for it, the public want to keep ownership of their port, just like they did in the 1990s when National tried to flog it off then and failed.”

Mr Mayn says the current moves by the Local Government Minister Rodney Hide are about lining up the port for privatization in the future.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they already have the For Sale signs waiting in the basement.”

Maritime Union National Vice President Garry Parsloe says it would be very easy for the Port to fall into overseas ownership with profits being sucked out of the region, and the port serving the interests of global shipping and port operators rather than New Zealand.

Mr Parsloe says there would be a massive public backlash if the privatization of the port was attempted through the Super City process, and the Maritime Union would be supporting any community campaign to oppose privatization.

The Maritime Union was involved in the 2006 Keep Our Port Public campaign in Christchurch when the Christchurch City Council was involved in a failed attempt to part privatize the Port of Lyttelton.

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The Ports of Auckland has been put on notice from Unions that it will have to train its own workforce rather than fly in staff from other ports.

The port company wants to transfer skilled labour from Wellington and Lyttelton to keep up with work after 12 weeks ago laying off a substantial number of workers.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Vice President Garry Parsloe says the situation is a result of the port company ignoring Union advice.

“They were told there were too many redundancies, and it would create a shortage of skilled workers. Now this has happened.”

He says that the Maritime Union would only agree for Unionised workers being transferred into Auckland if there was a written commitment from the Ports of Auckland to train a sufficient number of its own workforce.

Rail and Maritime Transport Union General Secretary Wayne Butson confirmed his Union had a united stance with MUNZ on the issue.

There were concerns that the Port Company was attempting to play off the unions against each other.

He says the issue is about port employers maintaining skilled staff at their port, an issue that both unions have the same position on.

“Any prudent port employer knows they must provide for volume variability of tonnage. Having an adequate supply of suitably qualified staff so that these situations don’t arise is Management 101.”

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The Maritime Union says it is concerned about the intentions of the Government towards Auckland’s public assets under the proposed SuperCity.

The union represents several hundred workers at the Ports of Auckland, which provides a major income to the people of Auckland who own the port through the Auckland Regional Council.

Maritime Union Local 13 Secretary Russell Mayn says there has been an ongoing “softening up” campaign from big business interests to sell off the Ports of Auckland so they can get their hands on them.

He says there is serious cause for concern that the SuperCity plan for Auckland’s local government will be used to push forward privatization of assets – including the port.

“Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide has made it very clear that he favours sell offs of the people’s assets which could see the ports along with land, infrastructure and water as monopolies owned by overseas corporations.”

The fact that these assets are regional and local assets, not state assets, provides an escape clause from the Prime Minister John Key’s promise not to privatize any public assets in this term of the Government.

Mr Mayn says the evidence shows the majority of Aucklanders are opposed to privatization of local assets.

“The Maritime Union will strongly advocate for keeping public assets such as the Ports of Auckland in public hands.”

He says the Maritime Union is supporting Auckland MP Phil Twyford’s Local Government (Protection of Auckland Assets) Amendment Bill and the “Not Yours To Sell” campaign to keep Auckland’s public assets in public hands.

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The New Zealand Herald has an NZPA report on the situation of the Annapurna and it’s Burmese crew here.

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The Maritime Union says it is helping the Burmese crew from the seized vessel Annapurna in the Ports of Auckland.

The Liberian-flagged Annapurna was seized yesterday by creditors after it berthed in Auckland, following the bankruptcy of its owners Eastwind.

Maritime Union Auckland Seafarers Branch Secretary Garry Parsloe, who represents the International Transport Workers Federation, says the primary concern of the Union is that crew members are paid their wages.

He says the Union is ensuring that the interests of the 23 Burmese crew members are looked after.

He says provisions for the crew have been supplied as well as telephones, as some of the crew had not spoken to their families at home in months.

Mr Parsloe says he has an undertaking from the agents that a payment would be made to crew to assist them in the meantime.

He says some of the crew members had not been paid for up to a year.

Mr Parsloe says he was pleased to hear representatives of the creditors had indicated that crew wages would be at the top of the list to be paid once the ship had been sold.

He says the crew will either be repatriated with their wages or may be re-employed by a new owner of the vessel, which was their decision.

Mr Parsloe says there are often problems with “flag of convenience” ships and the treatment of their crew around the world.

ENDS

For more information contact Maritime Union Auckland Seafarers Branch Secretary Garry Parsloe on 021326261

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