Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union is backing locked out meat workers at the CMP plant in Marton with financial support and a solidarity delegation.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood, speaking from the picket line today, says the Union is committed to ongoing support.

“This is a multinational bully using its power to rip out conditions from hard working New Zealanders in a small community. It’s unacceptable and they are not going to get away with it.”

Mr Fleetwood says he was impressed with the morale and strength of the locked out workers, and the number of other unions represented on the picket line in support.

“First thing this morning we had 15 maritime workers from Wellington come up to join the picket.”

Mr Fleetwood says the Maritime Union has made a substantial donation to the locked out workers.

“This is about providing food and paying the bills for these working families. These workers have put themselves on the line and we are not going to let them down.”

“We know that with an anti-worker National Government this is what happens. The producers of wealth, the backbone of our nation, are up against it from global multinationals who want to suck money out of our country for their global owners.

Mr Fleetwood says the dispute had gone international and the Maritime Union was updating other maritime and transport unions in its global network on the dispute.

CMP, a subsidiary of global multinational ANZCO Foods, has locked out 111 workers at its plant in Marton, in order to force them to sign off on pay cuts of between 20 – 30% and unacceptable changes to terms and conditions.

Donations can be made to the workers disputes fund at Kiwibank:

Account Name Disputes Fund

Account Number 38-9007-0894028-08

The Maritime Union of New Zealand supports the ILWU struggle for decent jobs at the Port of Longview.

We are appalled at the actions of police acting in collusion with multinational corporation EGT and the disgraceful attack on the ILWU protest.

Congratulations to all ILWU brothers and sisters for the active defence of decent jobs against predatory global corporates.

The Maritime Union has identified the New Zealand operations of one of the EGT partners and will be happy to register our strong protest to them and publicize their involvement in anti-union and anti-worker activities, if required. International solidarity is the key to defeating these attacks on working men and working women.

Please let us know if there is any way in which we can assist your struggle. Kia kaha tatau tatau – be strong, we are all one.

New Zealand maritime workers will be going up the gangway this week to check out ships flying “flags of convenience” and ensure that crew conditions, wages, and health and safety standards are up to scratch.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is holding its New Zealand Flag of Convenience Week of Action this week, ending Friday 3 June 2011.

Members of the ITF-affiliated Maritime Union of New Zealand will board vessels in New Zealand’s main ports, and go over documentation such as wage books, talk to crews, and inspect the seaworthiness and safety of ships.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says this is part of an ongoing international campaign to improve standards in the shipping industry.

He says that there have been a number of serious incidents on overseas vessels, including FOC vessels, in New Zealand ports and in and around New Zealand waters in recent years.

“We have had ongoing incidents ranging from underpayment of wages, failure for crews to be returned home at the end of their contracts, mistreatment and abuse, all the way up to serious injuries and deaths, and the sinking of vessels.”

Flag of Convenience (FOC) vessels are registered in countries with very lax or non-existent regulation of the maritime industry.

FOCs provide a means of avoiding labour regulation in the country of ownership, and become a vehicle for paying low wages and forcing long hours of work and unsafe working conditions.

ITF New Zealand inspector Grahame MacLaren says the week of action is intended to convey a clear message to Flag of Convenience operators who trade in New Zealand waters that they need to abide to basic ITF standards.

“The main focus will be to target FOC vessels without ITF agreements for the crew, but any other foreign flagged vessels will come under scrutiny.”

The ITF is made up of 681 unions representing 4,500,000 transport workers in 148 countries. It is one of several Global Union Federations allied with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

The Maritime Union says the publication of a report on the exploitation of overseas fishing crews in New Zealand waters by the Sunday Star Times today has “lifted the lid” on what is going on in the industry.
Maritime Union General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the union has been advocating for a complete clean up of the joint venture fishing industry for years to protect workers.
“It is good to see the New Zealand media finally shining the spotlight into some dark places.”
In recent years the joint venture fishing industry had seen a string of sinkings, drownings, industrial accidents, reports of violence and abuse, health and safety violations, ship jumpings, appalling work conditions and failures to honour employment and wage agreements.
Mr Fleetwood says the Maritime Union wants a full audit of the industry, including the standard of vessels and opening the wages books.
The use of employment agents in the countries of origin for foreign crews meant the worst practices of Third World economies had become established in the New Zealand economy.
“This situation is what is known overseas as social dumping, or the exploitation of cross-border labour in a globalized economy.”
Mr Fleetwood says just because fishing vessels were operating off the New Zealand coast, that did not give operators a right to ignore New Zealand standards of employment.
“The New Zealand Government has taken an ineffective approach, simply because there are big profits in it for the companies.”
He says the overseas fishing crews are not members of the Maritime Union but the union would continue to offer help if asked as the overseas crews had no other effective representation.
Mr Fleetwood says the Maritime Union and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) has assisted crew members on many occasions, organizing repatriation of crew members and the payment of outstanding wages.
The Maritime Union of New Zealand is affiliated to the ITF, which is organizing internationally to improve conditions for seafarers and fishing crews.
Mr Fleetwood says the long term answer is to employ New Zealand workers on good wages and conditions in the fishing industry, rather than allowing the worst practices to continue.
“New Zealand workers have a right to jobs in their own fishing industry, especially at a time of high unemployment.”

The Maritime Union of New Zealand says New Zealand workers have to get ready for a serious and long term battle to defend public services.
Maritime Union General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says there are clear indications the National Government intends to drain resources from public services and create more unemployment.
A speech by Finance Minister Bill English today to the Institute of Public Administration outlined the National Government’s plan of so-called austerity measures and an ongoing assault on public services.
Mr Fleetwood says last years tax cuts for the wealthy have now been confirmed as irresponsible and unaffordable.
“This is austerity for the workers to pay for handouts for those travelling first class.”
“The Finance Minister has said that he will cut so-called ‘nice to have’ services. The Maritime Union says that now is the time to reverse the tax cuts that are ‘nice to have’ for those on upper incomes, like John Key and Bill English.”
Mr Fleetwood said the response of New Zealand should be to copy workers in the UK, USA, Ireland and France who have strongly resisted attacks on public services and workers in those services.
“At this time, New Zealand needs strong, well-resourced public services and state investment to rebuild from natural disasters and to tackle unemployment which remains at serious levels.”
He says the National Government now intends to further starve public services of resources in order to pay for the “sports car and champagne” tax cuts to their friends.
The Maritime Union would play a leading role in defending public services and workers from any attacks by the Government.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand has offered its sympathy and solidarity with the people of Japan following the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 11 March.

Maritime Union General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the disaster has hit many coastal and port communities and the Union had been in touch with maritime unions in Japan.

There were close ties between maritime workers in the two countries, and the support offered by Japan to New Zealand in the recent Christchurch earthquake must be reciprocated.

Information on what unions are doing, and what you can do, to help can be found at the International Transport Workers’ Federation or at Labourstart.