Maritime Union of New Zealand

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.

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 says Government plans to bring rail and ferries back under public ownership would be a major step forward for New Zealand.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the move is long overdue and is required to bring New Zealand’s transport infrastructure up to world standards.

“We need an integrated transport system in New Zealand that has a substantial public-owned component for security and stability.”

Mr Hanson says deregulation has led to huge damage to rail and shipping.

“For example, we have had massive growth in fuel-inefficient, congestion-creating road transport, whereas low impact modes such as shipping and rail have been let to run down.”

He says both rail and shipping are the transport of the future in a world where climate change and peak oil were massive threats.

Mr Hanson says more direction is needed in the transport industry and public ownership of key infrastructure would make this possible.

He says the next step should be a national ports policy that brings ports under public ownership and makes them work co-operatively for the national interest.

“An efficient transport and logistics sector is essential for New Zealand as a trading nation, and leaving it to the market and private interests has been a big fat failure.”

Mr Hanson criticized negative comments from the National Party MP Bill English on public ownership and “feather-bedding”.

“Bill English knows nothing about the transport sector apart from being driven around in the back of a taxpayer-paid limousine, and the only feather-bedding that has gone on in transport is for the corporate predators who National sold off our assets to at bargain basement prices.”

Mr Hanson says Mr English should try to lash some loose cargo on a Cook Strait ferry in a gale before he casts aspersions on New Zealand seafarers.

He says the legacy of the 1990s National Government policies in transport was a failed system, attacks on workers pay and conditions, and worst of all, death and injury through the rundown of health and safety practices.

ENDS

For more information, contact Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson on 021390585

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