MEXICO ITF MEETING
ITF OFFSHORE TASKFORCE
by Joe Fleetwood Wellington Seafarers’ Secretary The ITF Offshore Task Force Group Conference (OTFG) was opened in Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico, on 17 September 2008 by the local ITF Mexican affiliate and government representatives. The chair of the Task Force Group, Norrie McVicar, welcomed all attending the 11th OTFG gathering in Compeche, Mexico. The purpose of holding the OTFG in Mexico was to show the consortium of multinational employers which exploits the local labour in the Gulf of Mexico that local ITF affiliates have the international backing of the ITF and all the international affiliates that work in the oil and gas industry in the world. In attendance were around 70 delegates from nations including United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, Norway, East Timor, Indonesia, Finland, Russia, India, Brazil, and Mexico. There are four new countries applying to join the OTFG. This will be decided at the next ITF Fair Practice Committee meeting held early next year. I delivered an indepth country report on the steady growth of the New Zealand oil and gas industry. I noted the joint Union Memorandum of Understanding we have signed with the EPMU for our own offshore, and the contribution MUNZ can and will make if accepted as a member of the ITF Offshore Task Force Group.
26 | The Maritimes | October 2008
Our brothers and sisters have a very hard time ahead with the continual struggle to organise and secure decent wages and conditions for the workers in the Gulf. One of the richest industries in the world wants to pay a pittance in return for massive profits. There are approximately 55,000 workers on individual contracts in the Gulf with about 3% entitled to have a recognised collective agreement. There is a massive problem with low union membership made worse by “Unions of Convenience”, commonly known in our neck of the woods as Yellow Associations. These organizations are set up by a lawyer who will charge the company US$500 per month, multiplied by 3000 individual agreements, equalling a lot of money made by leeching and preying on the working class. Inside these disgraceful contracts the workers are made to presign their own termination papers so the employer can dispose of them when they want. These are the kind of people we are up against in the corporate capitalist system. There is a massive problem with the lack of enforceable health and safety rules and regulations with many workers maimed and killed, with little or no compensation. Billions of dollars come out of the Gulf and nothing goes into the infrastructure for helping the people of Mexico. There are many maritime incidents that are not reported, and few marine inspections.
Health and safety Other discussion included the need for world training in industry modules. Why is this is necessary? In the North Sea, four oil rig disasters resulted in deaths of 22, 167, 11 and 123 workers. As a result, the North Sea now has the strictest health and safety rules and regulations in the world. We discussed collective bargaining, the development of areas like East Timor, Indonesia and Nigeria, all with massive natural resources. There is a necessity to get all the genuine unions in our industry working together, and we need to address the world wide problem of Yellow Associations. An ITF diving agreement based on UK document as a bench mark was also discussed.
Country reports and developments. MUA Assistant Secretary Mick Doleman was elected as the chair for the Pacific Indonesian region. There was a meeting of the Timor Leste (East Timor) regional group, which includes MUNZ, the MUA, Norway, Indonesia, Timor Leste and the ITF, and Singapore has been invited to join. I would like to thank the ITF Mexican affiliate for hosting the OTFG and there great hospitality. On behalf of the Maritime Union of New Zealand, thank you.
www.munz.org.nz