The Maritime Union of New Zealand says it has cleared the TPC Wellington to leave Marsden Point after working with crew members to arrange their repatriation.

Two crew members died on the log ship on Monday from what is thought to be asphyxiation, but investigations into the accident are ongoing.

Maritime Union General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the priority has been to ensure the welfare of remaining crew members.

He says an agreement has been reached between the company and the crew with the assistance of the ITF and Maritime Union.

The Burmese crew members would return with the vessel to Korea where the company would release them from their contract.

The crew members would be paid wages owing, repatriation costs and a bonus.

Under the agreement they would be able to refuse to carry out work they felt was unsafe.

The Maritime Union is affiliated to the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), which represents seafarers and maritime workers around the world.

ITF New Zealand Inspector Grahame McLaren arrived at the vessel on Tuesday afternoon and had been working with crew since that time.

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The Maritime Union says that it will be looking into health and safety aboard the bulk carrier TPC Wellington after a serious accident.

Two sailors, one Korean and one Burmese, died after suffocating in the ship’s timber hold at Marsden Point wharf near Whangarei yesterday afternoon.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says it is likely this was an unnecessary tragedy.

“Last week we commemorated International Workers Memorial Day, to remember all those workers killed and harmed on the job, and now sadly we already have more workplace fatalities.”

Mr Fleetwood says the Union is not making any assumptions about the incident.

A full investigation was required to identify what happened.

“What we will be asking about is the safety of the vessel, were all safety precautions taken, was there any use of toxic chemicals aboard the vessel, and what were the onboard conditions for the crew.”

Mr Fleetwood says that fatalities and serious injuries occurred far too often in the maritime industry, often due to corner cutting and time pressures in a deregulated industry.

He says the event was the most serious in a New Zealand port for some time.

“Firstly, before assigning responsibility to anyone, let alone the victims, we need to know the events leading up to the deaths, and whether these workers were aware of any dangers.”

Mr Fleetwood says it is common to find safety issues aboard “flag of convenience” ships and fishing vessels.

This was complicated by communication issues as many crews were comprised of different nationalities.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand is an affiliate of the International Transport Workers Federation, which is the global organization representing transport workers including seafarers, fisheries workers, waterfront workers and other maritime workers.

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The Maritime Union of New Zealand is supporting strike action by Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) members in the West Australian offshore oil and gas industry.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says many New Zealanders work in the Australian maritime industry.

He says that the Maritime Union of New Zealand works closely with the MUA and other unions in international alliances such as the Trans Tasman Oil and Gas Alliance.

Mr Fleetwood says the Australian workers had the full support of maritime workers around the world.

“The employers are making vast fortunes in profits. You don’t notice all the CEOs and politicians refusing their huge pay increases but when workers stand up for their rights it becomes the end of the world.”

He says the wages of those workers get spent in working class communities rather than being hoarded by wealthy shareholders.

“This is about workers getting their share of the wealth they create. After all, they do the work out on the remote rigs and vessels, away from home for long periods and in a risky, heavy industrial environment.”

Mr Fleetwood says the issue has important implications for New Zealand.

“The offshore oil and gas industry is an important part of our economy and will become more important over the next decade.”

The Maritime Union supports moves away from an oil based economy in the long term but there would be a transition period where oil and gas were still required and New Zealand had to make the most of that.

“This is a limited resource and one that is not having a positive effect on the environment. The wealth from our oil and gas reserves must be used to benefit our people and to move to a post-oil economy.”

He noted how diverse nations such as Norway and Venezuela had used their oil and gas reserves for the benefit of their citizens.

Mr Fleetwood says that New Zealand should maintain close control of its oil and gas reserves and should not allow them to be exploited by private corporations.

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Four Seafarers Scholarships are available from the New Zealand Seafarers Union Scholarship Trust, for current or former seafarer members, and children or grandchildren of New Zealand seafarers, for study in 2010 at University or technical institutes.

Details and application information for the scholarships is available here. Applications close in early December.

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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 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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The Maritime Union of New Zealand was formed in 2002 when the New Zealand Waterfront Workers’ Union and the New Zealand Seafarers’ Union joined together. We represent waterfront workers, seafarers and related workers in New Zealand.

The union offers a range of services to members, including negotiating employment agreements, providing work related legal advice, promoting health and safety on the job, and promoting the interests of working people – our members.

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The Maritime Union of New Zealand says a free trade deal signed with ASEAN nations including the military dictatorship of Myanmar is bad for workers.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says a free trade deal including Myanmar will boost the violently anti-worker regime in Myanmar and threatened workers rights.

He says the Maritime Union has many concerns about the treatment of Burmese maritime workers, some of whom work in New Zealand waters, and who have been mistreated and abused in the past.

The Maritime Union has previously spoken out about the murder of Ko Moe Naung, a Seafarers’ Union of Burma (Myanmar) organizer in the Ranong region, who was killed by Burmese military forces on 19 May 2005.

The Seafarers’ Union of Burma is a fellow affiliate with the Maritime Union of New Zealand to the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

Ko Moe was tortured to death over three hours during interrogation at 8-Mile Village Army Base LIR 431 in Kawthaung, Burma.

Ko Moe was targeted by the Myanmar regime as he was a dedicated trade union leader, who was organising Burmese fishermen and migrant workers from Burma at the Ranong area.

Mr Hanson says free trade deals mean that New Zealand is now effectively endorsing dictatorships such as Burma which murder workers such as Ko Moe Naung.

He says the Maritime Union has a long history of opposing repressive regimes, refusing to work on American nuclear warships in New Zealand harbours and supporting the struggle against apartheid.

“New Zealand waterfront workers refused to load pig iron for Japan before World War 2, which they were denounced for, but shortly afterwards the pig iron was coming back towards us as bullets.”

Mr Hanson says sometimes doing the right thing comes with a cost.

He says the Maritime Union is extremely concerned that free trade deals will mean the use of short term, casual labour imported across borders to drive down wages and conditions, a problem that is now occurring around the world.

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The Maritime Union says that it has had enough of cowboy tactics on the Cook Strait after further revelations of another potential ferry
grounding that was narrowly avoided.

The Union is concerned about reports the ferry ‘Santa Regina’ was on auto pilot in the Tory Channel on June 9 in breach of Maritime Safety Authority rules.

Maritime Union of New Zealand Wellington Seafarers Branch President Mike Shakespeare says the latest incident aboard the ‘Santa Regina’
could have ended in disaster.

“We can no longer have these type of incidents occurring that pose a grave threat to the safety of the public and of our members.”

He says incidents such as this are the result of cost-cutting by ferry operators in a highly competitive market.

The Maritime Union is calling for stronger safety regulations and appropriate crew levels.

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The Maritime Union says attempts to sack the crew of the Cook Strait ferry “Kent” by employers Strait Shipping is driven by attempts by management to bypass new safety regulations.

Maritime Union Wellington Branch Secretary Mike Williams says the threats to sack a crew is because the workers will not compromise on health and safety.

Mr Williams says Strait Shipping was ordered by the Maritime Safety Authority to put extra crew on steering duties after a fatality in Tory Channel earlier this week following a collision involving a yacht and the ferry “Santa Regina”.

He says Strait Shipping have ordered current crew to go onto steering duties in addition to their current duties.

Mr Williams says the company is trying to get around the need for extra crew to ensure the safe operation of ferries.

“The attack on the crew is just a smokescreen for the real issue which is an appropriate level of crew, and our members are not prepared to have their safety or public safety put in jeopardy.”

Mr Williams says a national meeting of the Maritime Union executive in Wellington this morning has given its full support to the crew and their stance for health and safety.

“We cannot have managers trying to abuse regulations that are put there to protect life and limb.”

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