Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union of New Zealand says secure jobs, improved wages and conditions, national sovereignty, and major improvements to New Zealand’s maritime and transport policy are its election priorities.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says there is an immediate need for an effective, efficient and environmentally friendly transport and logistics chain.

He says that the potential privatization and overseas buy up of New Zealand ports is a major threat to New Zealand remaining in control of its supply chain.

The current Government had no plan for coastal shipping, and the stranding of the Rena and problems with Foreign Charter Vessels (FCVs) in the fishing industry were glaring examples of how deregulation and falling standards were reducing New Zealand to the status of a developing nation.

“The National Government has focussed its entire transport strategy on putting more trucks on the road, when we need to be moving in the opposite direction of rail and coastal shipping to provide low impact, environmentally aware transport for the future.”

Mr Fleetwood says that worker’s wages and conditions were under enormous pressure, and unemployment was wrecking the lives of many, including the vulnerable young.

“The reality is that most workers in jobs are working longer, harder and for relatively less, and at the same time we see tens of thousands excluded from work and then attacked for being beneficiaries.”

The working class in New Zealand today are underpaid and over-worked, with high unemployment, casualization and a shrinking share of the economic pie, says Mr Fleetwood.

“This must be addressed not only by economic growth, but by increasing the share of wealth produced going to the producers – the workers.”

Casualization of jobs was creating massive problems in working class communities and was being ignored by the Government.

The third concern of the Union was how New Zealand’s sovereignty was being undermined.

New Zealanders must have the right to make our own economic and political choices, says Mr Fleetwood.

“This right is undermined by free trade deals such as the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, and John Key’s proposed asset sales that will remove our ability to determine our collective future as a community and nation.”

New Zealanders were in serious danger of becoming tenants in their own country if the National Party asset sales and privatization agenda was allowed to continue.

The full Maritime Union election statement could be viewed online at http://www.munz.org.nz/2011-election/

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 says the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) free trade deal is a threat to democracy in New Zealand.

Maritime Union General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the current TPPA negotiations are a “thieves charter” that sell out workers and the environment to control by global corporate bosses.

Recent discussions at the APEC leaders forum in Hawaii showed that democratic issues and workers rights were at the bottom of the pile in the TPPA.

“There is no open debate, no public discussion, it’s all done behind closed doors, and will be kept under wraps for the next four years – longer than a New Zealand term of Government.”

Tangling New Zealand up in free trade deals means that global big business will have the right to sue the New Zealand people if they don’t get their way, says Mr Fleetwood.

He says this situation had already occurred overseas including Australia and Mexico.

“Let’s get it straight, free trade does not mean free people.”

Free trade deals and plans to privatize New Zealand assets by the National Government were a major threat to the future of New Zealand, says Mr Fleetwood.

“We will become tenants in our own land.”

Mr Fleetwood says that most New Zealander’s have not been told about what is in these agreements, and most MP’s wouldn’t have the first clue about what is going on either.

“We have to understand that this is not a one off. We are on the slippery slope and if we don’t start demanding answers from our politicians they will sell us down the river.”

He says in the TPPA negotiations the United States was already on the attack to try and undermine our right to give priority to enterprises owned by the New Zealand people.

Mr Fleetwood says that the labour problems in the fishing and maritime industries give a taste of what will happen if New Zealand is sucked into free trade deals.

“Big corporates from China have already indicated that want to get control of the supply chain, their plan is to buy up the mines, the agriculture, the land, the transport system, they have already tried to buy a port as they already own our shipping.”

“We will see more short term, casual workers brought in from low wage economies who are already being exploited in New Zealand. It already happens in the fishing industry and it is already moving onto land.”

The Maritime Union is backing the New Zealand Not For Sale campaign and endorses its demands that the New Zealand Government:

• cease negotiations on the Transpacific Partnership agreement; and

• not sign this agreement; and

• cease work on any other in-progress or proposed international trade and investment treaties containing clauses which limit or abrogate New Zealand’s sovereign and democratic right to make and enforce laws and regulations and provide services which differ from those of other states or transnational organisations.

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.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand has welcomed today’s announcement by the Government of the terms of reference and panel for an official and wide ranging inquiry into foreign owned vessels in the fishing industry.

Maritime Union General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the Government’s objectives sound good on paper, but the Union wants real answers.

“Enforceable rules and regulations for labour standards, and the need for New Zealand to benefit from our own resources, including jobs, are the big issues. This inquiry will need to shine a light into dark places.”

“This inquiry is long overdue and the Maritime Union have been calling for one for many years. But we know in advance that this inquiry will confirm what we already know, that disgraceful practices have become the norm and accepted by the industry.”

This has caused great harm, says Mr Fleetwood.

He says in 2006 new regulations were brought in to tighten up the rules around overseas crews on joint venture vessels, but the inquiry was effectively an admission that previous efforts had not cleaned up the industry.

“This is a problem that has been allowed to grow and grow for decades.”

Mr Fleetwood says the Maritime Union’s goal for the fishing industry was simple.

“We want to have the fishing and processing done by New Zealand operators employing New Zealand workers on decent wages and conditions. We want the phase out of joint ventures. They’ve been a failure, that has resulted in New Zealand being identified internationally as a place where disgraceful practices are condoned.”

“If overseas crews are phased out, the abuse, exploitation and underpayment will be solved.”

Mr Fleetwood says the Maritime Union would be working with other bona fide unions and the International Transport Workers’ Federation to discuss ways to organize local and international labour in the industry.

The announcement of a ministerial inquiry into foreign fishing charter vessels in New Zealand waters is long overdue.

The Maritime Union says ongoing problems with the abuse and underpayment of overseas crews on joint venture vessels in New Zealand waters have become an international embarrassment.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the Maritime Union and International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) had intervened in numerous cases in the past few years.

“We are interested to see the industry is now calling for the inquiry, but we have been calling for an inquiry like this for years. It has been a long time coming.”

Mr Fleetwood says the current regulation of the New Zealand fishing industry and joint venture operators using international crews was being shown up as a failure.

“It is time to lance this boil. There needs to be a thorough investigation of the industry and immediate concrete steps, not just talk, to clamp down on the abuse and exploitation of overseas crews in New Zealand waters.”

Mr Fleetwood says the Union will be demanding that the ministerial inquiry is not just a “smother job” that sits on the bookshelf gathering dust.

“This must not be a box ticking exercise. We know what the problems are, what we need now is action, proper regulation, proper enforcement, to clean up a mess that has been allowed to grow for years under successive Governments.”

He says the Union wants an industry with world class wages and conditions for all workers, and employment opportunities for New Zealand workers in their own industry.

Mr Fleetwood says a recent incident where 32 crew left the Oyang 75 in Lyttelton earlier this month was an example of some of the problems in the industry.

The company responsible for chartering the Korean vessel, Southern Storm Fishing, were the charterers of the vessel Oyang 70 that sank last year with the deaths of six crew.

In May 2011, Southern Storm Fishing held a “media event” in Dunedin where journalists were invited on board to inspect their new replacement vessel, the Oyang 75.

But less than two months later, the crew of the new flagship of their fleet have abandoned the Oyang 75 en masse in Lyttelton, claiming physical and verbal abuse and underpayment.

In the latest development, a diplomat from the US State Department is currently visiting New Zealand as part of a investigation into global “human trafficking” which includes the abuse of fishing crews.

Mr Fleetwood says the Maritime Union is meeting with Ambassador Luis CdeBaca during his visit tomorrow to discuss concerns about the abuse of international crews in the global and New Zealand fishing industry.

Background to Oyang 75
A pattern of activities has been identified by the Maritime Union going back several years, in relation to the operations of Southern Storm Fishing and their vessels and crews.

ShinJi and Mr Hyun Choi
Department of Labour is reported to be currently investigating claims of abuse and underpayment of crew on ShinJi.
Crew members told media they left the vessel in Auckland several weeks ago due to underpayment and mistreatment.
The Shin Ji is chartered by Christchurch-based Tu Ere Fishing, went into voluntary administration recently.
A director of the company is Hyun Choi, also a director of Southern Storm Fishing, currently engaged in the Oyang 75 crew dispute in Christchurch.
In 2009 the ITF and Maritime Union investigated the Shin Ji after 12 Indonesian crew left the vessel.
The reasons they gave for leaving the vessel were non payment of wages, problems with harassment from officers, and substandard living and working conditions.
ITF inspector Grahame MacLaren reported a number of problems – “the vessel was in need of a good clean and there were large areas of rust on the deck in the galley, no bed linen, no hot water with the crew expected to shower in cold sea water. We also pointed out that the life rafts were almost inaccessible due to fishing gear being stowed all around them.”
NZ$52,776 in back pay was secured for the crew by the ITF and the crew were repatriated back to Indonesia despite initial resistance from the charterers.

Southern Storm media promotion
Southern Storm represented by publicist Glenn Inwood of Omeka Communications in Oyang 75 media promotion in May 2011. Inwood’s previous clients have included Japanese whaling industry and tobacco companies.

The $1000 “Bounty”
An advertisement placed in the Otago Daily Times in 2007 offers an $1000 bounty for information about missing crew member Kismo Pakistan who left his vessel the FV Oyang 70 in Dunedin on 5 June 2007.
The contact listed in the advertisement was Fisheries Consultancy Limited of Lyttelton and the advertisement was authorized by Southern Storm Fishing (2007) Limited of Christchurch.

Breach of RMA
In 2009 Southern Storm was found guilty of breaching the Resource Management Act following an oil spill from the Oyang 70 in Port Nelson. They contested that they were not the responsible party, but the judge found otherwise.

Sinking of Oyang 70
Southern Storm chartered vessel Oyang 70 sinks on 18 August 2010, 400 nautical miles off Otago coast. Six crew drowned.
Surviving crew kept away from media when taken ashore. The crew were then bused to a secret location, with police closing the Lyttelton tunnel so a media contingent could not follow the survivors’ bus through to Christchurch.
A former police officer involved in the case stated that crew were “treated appallingly” (Sunday Star Times, 12 April 2011).
“All the survivors came with the same story, and they all said they were hauling a bag of fish,” says Greg Lyall, captain of the Amaltal Atlantis, who rescued the survivors.
“The vessel lent over to one side – the factory filled up with water and the engine room filled up with water. There were no alarms, no lighting, nothing, and within 10 minutes the boat was gone and most of them had to swim to the life rafts.”