NEWS
Move on casual jobs welcomed by transport unions Two major transport unions, the Maritime Union of New Zealand and the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, have welcomed the announcement of an independent review into casual jobs. Speaking to the national conference of the Maritime Union on 31 October, New Zealand First deputy leader Peter Brown MP said he would be working closely with the Labour-led Government to hold the review on casual jobs. Mr Brown told the Conference that Minister of Labour Ruth Dyson had agreed to a review across all employment areas. Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the news is a great step for workers. He says that Mr Brown’s comments that long-term casual jobs were unacceptable was welcomed by the Union. “We are especially pleased with the news that Labour and New Zealand First will be working together on this issue.”
Permanent, secure jobs He says the Maritime Union has been raising the issue for some years and had been advocating permanent, secure jobs as the only way forward.
Rail and Maritime Transport Union National Secretary Wayne Butson says that casualization of jobs was a major problem throughout the New Zealand economy. “Some people have been working in casual jobs for years and years, living on a day to day basis.” He says that the problems of casual jobs included irregular hours, the lack of ability for families to plan financially, stress and health problems, relationship and family breakdowns, and insecure incomes. Mr Hanson says the other bad effect of casual jobs were that casual workers were too scared to stand up for their employment rights in many cases. “We cannot talk about a thriving economy when people are struggling with casual jobs, especially as casualization affects the most vulnerable workers.”
8 | The Maritimes | December 2006
Methyl bromide petition succeeds By Sally Kidson A Nelson woman has successfully campaigned to get the Government to investigate the toxic fumigant methyl bromide, after concerns by a group of Nelson widows that their husbands’ deaths could be linked to the gas. On Friday 10 October 2006, the local government and environment select committee released its findings on a petition by Campaigners Against Toxic Sprays spokeswoman Claire Gulman, calling for the gas to be banned. The committee is calling for the Environmental Risk Management Authority to reassess methyl bromide and set new conditions for its use as soon as possible. It has also recommended that the longterm health of workers reportedly exposed to methyl bromide be monitored. Mrs Gulman said the committee’s findings “brought tears to my eyes”, and she felt vindicated for pursuing the issue. It was a “big accomplishment” that progress was being made, she said. “Finally, we are getting somewhere.” She still wanted the gas banned, and would continue to act as a watchdog on the issue, she said. Methyl bromide is an odourless gas used to fumigate cargoes at New Zealand ports. It came under the spotlight last year when a group of Nelson women said they believed their husbands’ deaths from motor-neurone disease were linked to the fumigant. A study by Nelson’s Medical Officer of Health, Ed Kiddle, found no link between the gas and motor-neurone disease. But Mrs Gulman and others still believed the gas was dangerous and that the issue should be taken further, and presented a 1500-signature petition to Parliament last year. Former Nelson port worker Ian Street, who believes he was poisoned by methyl bromide, also welcomed the select committee findings. “I was told I was a liar. I was told it was all in my head. People said we would never get anywhere,” he said. He praised Mrs Gulman for doggedly pursuing the issue.
Marilyn Tunnicliffe, whose former husband Matt McKay worked at Port Nelson and died of motor-neurone disease, said she was “absolutely thrilled”. “It’s a wonderful step forward, considering it’s only been going for a short time. It’s good they are aware of it now. I’m extremely pleased.” Green MP Sue Kedgley met with Mrs Gulman in Nelson on Friday and called her a “hero”. “She has quietly lifted the lid on an issue Parliament hasn’t heard before.” The select committee’s findings showed that the Government had taken the issue seriously, she said. The recommendations would be tabled in Parliament, and the Government would then have 90 days to act. Ms Kedgley said she was horrified to learn that containers could be fumigated with methyl bromide at more than 6000 locations throughout New Zealand, including in urban and residential areas. Genera Ltd carries out fumigations at Port Nelson. Its technical adviser, Alan Perry, said the company already practised many of the committee’s recommendations including displaying hazard signs during fumigations. The problem was that methyl bromide was the only quarantine fumigant generally accepted worldwide, but Genera had been looking to develop other processes, including the use of the gas phosphine, he said. The company had also promoted building a facility to recapture methyl bromide after fumigations at Port Nelson, he said. It wanted to have it ready for the coming fumigation season, but it probably wouldn’t be ready until 2007. He said he was aware of the sensitivity over methyl bromide in Nelson, but the main driver behind the changes was the Nelson City Council’s air quality plan. The company carried out fumigations with methyl bromide in Nelson only at the port, he said. (reprinted with permission from the Nelson Mail, this article first appeared on 28 October 2006)
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