The Maritimes Autumn 2014

The Maritimes Issue 45 • Autumn 2014

www.munz.org.nz

Magazine of the Maritime Union of New Zealand

ISSN 1176-3418

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Contact the Maritime Union National Office Telephone: 04 3850 792 Fax: 04 3848 766 Address: PO Box 27004, Wellington 6141 Office administrator: Ramesh Pathmanathan Email: ramesh@munz.org.nz National Secretary: Joe Fleetwood Direct dial: 04 8017614 Mobile: 021 364649 Email: joe.fleetwood@munz.org.nz National President: Garry Parsloe Direct dial: 09 3034652 Mobile: 021 326261 Email: garry.parsloe@munz.org.nz National Vice President: Carl Findlay Direct dial: 09 3034652 Mobile: 021 760887 Email: carl.findlay@munz.org.nz Assistant General Secretary: Ray Fife Direct dial: 03 2128189 Mobile: 0274 475317 Email: ray.fife@munz.org.nz

In this issue National Secretary’s Report page 4 Regional Maritime Federation page 6 News page 7 Branch and local contacts page 11 Obituaries page 13 Offshore resources – who benefits? page 16 Interport 2014 page 18 Health and safety page 20 Port Roundups page 22 Kakariki dockyard voyage page 32 War on the wharves page 34

MARITIME UNION BADGE NICKEL PLATED WITH 3 ENAMEL INFILLS AND RE

ITF Inspector: Grahame McLaren Direct dial: 04 8017613 Mobile: 021 2921782 Email: mclaren_grahame@itf.org.uk Communications Officer: Victor Billot Mobile: 021 482219 Email: victor.billot@munz.org.nz

The Maritimes Magazine Published quarterly by the Maritime Union of New Zealand.

Authorized by Joe Fleetwood, 220 Willis Street, Wellington.

ISSN 1176-3418 Editorial Board: Joe Fleetwood, Garry Parsloe, Ray Fife, Carl Findlay

Editor: Victor Billot Mobile: 021 482219 Email: victor.billot@munz.org.nz Deadline for Winter 2014 edition: 1 June 2014 Cover photo: Resolve Commander salvage of Rena accommodation block, March 2014 photo by Alf Boyle.

Maritime Union online

26mm

We welcome your contributions to the Maritimes magazine.

Articles, letters, photos and suggestions are welcome.

Contact the Editor mobileELECTROPLATING: NICKEL 021482219 RESIN PLEASE ENSURE ALL DETAILS ARE CORRECT BEFORE GIVING APPROVAL TO PROCEED TO PRODUCTION email The Maritime Union of New Zealand is affiliated to the victor.billot@munz.org.nz International Transport Workers’ Federation post www.itfglobal.org PO Box 27004, Wellington 6141 JOB: 34984 v2.0

Website www.munz.org.nz Facebook www.facebook.com/maritime.union Twitter www.twitter.com/maritimeunion PLATE DEPTH: 2mm FITTING: 1 PIN (9mm) AND CLUTCH Flickr www.flickr.com/maritimeunion YouTube www.youtube.com/maritimeunionnz

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Regional Maritime Federation meeting, Auckland, 28 March 2014, from left, Shannon O’Keeffe (ITF Australia), Liz Blackshaw (ITF), Garry Parsloe (MUNZ), Joe Fleetwood (MUNZ), Mick Doleman (MUA), Daniel Mathew (PNGMTWU), Paddy Crumlin (ITF/MUA), Reg McAlister (PNGMTWU) and Nancy Manga (PNGMTWU)

Maritime Update From National Secretary Joe Fleetwood

Health and safety Sadly we have to note the death of a MUNZ member on the job at the Port of Lyttelton on Saturday 21 December 2013.

This was the worst of a bad series of health and safety incidents that occurred over summer that resulted in other workers being seriously hurt as well.

Warren Ritchie, a stevedore at Lyttelton stevedoring services, was killed while working on the vessel at the Port of Lyttelton. MUNZ has extended its support to Warren’s family.

It is always a hard situation to lose one of our own. It is a reminder that we work in a dangerous industry where our members are every day and night working hard in a vital industry that literally keeps New Zealand going.

At this time this death is under investigation.

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Another death occurred in the port of Lyttelton when a truck contractor was killed in November 2013 after being struck by a truck.

If this wasn’t enough, a forklift operator was badly hurt at the Woolston inland depot in January 2014 when a container fell on his vehicle while he was stacking.

Worksafe, the new Government workplace health and safety agency, has issued a number of notices to the Port of Lyttelton to get their practices up to a proper standard and MUNZ is keeping a close watch on progress.

Another MUNZ member at Ports of Auckland suffered serious injuries in January after falling from a container vessel. Despite the horrific accident and critical injuries, he is now on the mend and is once again being supported through his recovery by his workmates and comrades at Local 13.

These are just some of the worst incidents in our industry.

Many more have happened in other industries, most notably forestry and fishing, and of course the disaster at Pike River Mine.

The independent Taskforce into health and safety released a report last year that said New Zealand’s health and safety system was “not fit for purpose.”

What is of concern to MUNZ is the attention of the Government agencies comes after the fact.

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If anything can be learned from the bitter tragedies of workplace deaths in New Zealand in recent times, it is that relying on employers to do the right thing does not work.

There needs to be strong regulation to put health and safety first before profit and production – and active enforcement of that regulation, not just box ticking and turning up after things go wrong.

The reality is that workers need to drive the issue.

We need to turn up the heat on health and safety on the job. One way in which all members can help is to report any incidents or health and safety hazards promptly to their branch officials, all members are also welcome to use the report form on our website www.munz.org.nz which sends in the information confidentially to national office.

All workers have the right to return home safe and well to their families.

Election year The Maritime Union is a politically committed union.

Our Union continually pushes the cause of our members in the political arena to secure the best practical deal in the short term and to work for long term progress to a society in which the interests of workers (the majority) come first.

Both the waterfront and seafarers’ union from our history took a leading role in not only fighting for the rights of their members and the New Zealand working class but also in supporting international struggles against apartheid and nuclear weapons and fellow workers around the globe.

This is a heritage and a legacy which we must continue because any conditions we enjoy today are due to the struggle of those who came before.

The three yearly general election is the most important part of securing pro-worker representation in Parliament which can introduce legislation that protects and enhances the lives of workers.

Our Union is affiliated to the Labour Party and we have good relations with other parties that support pro-worker policies and could contribute to a proworker Government of the left.

All members have the right to support whatever political party they choose. We urge all members to register, to vote and to consider carefully what the policies on offer mean for them.

An old saying worth considering from a past leader of maritime workers – “no politics is bosses’ politics.”

Regional Maritime Federation Our Union hosted a meeting of the Regional Maritime Federation in Auckland on 27 and 28 March 2014.

The Federation is still at the stage of working through structures and rules prior to formalizing any arrangements. It was a positive meeting that included guests from Australia, Papua New Guinea, the ITF head office in the UK, as well as officer’s unions from both sides of the Tasman and other New Zealand unions as observers.

There is a more detailed report on the next page of the Maritimes magazine.

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Upcoming meetings The National Council of the Maritime Union where all branches are represented along with the four national officials will hold our regular meeting at Waterside House in late May 2014.

The four yearly ITF Congress to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, in August 2014. This congress will bring all the ITF unions globally together to set the path forward for the next four years.

The ITF has been doing good work and making strong progress under the leadership of International President Paddy Crumlin of the MUA and Acting General Secretary Steve Cotton and we look to build on this success in the future.

Changes in the industry There are many developments going on in our industry at the current time.

One area which is going through rapid expansion is the offshore oil and gas industry, with a number of exploratory wells going in off the southern coasts at the moment, many in deep water.

Less high profile but equally interesting is the development of offshore mining, in particular the west coast ironsands of the North Island, and the phosphate deposits on the Chatham Rise.

These are controversial activities and the Maritime Union outlines our position on where we see the future of the offshore industry later on in this edition of the Maritimes.

Another area of expansion is in the terminals, both the empire building of Port of Tauranga with their investment in Timaru, and the growth of inland ports, especially in the Auckland–Waikato–Bay of Plenty area.

These are all issues which the Union will need to deal with in the near future and will be discussed at our National Council.

Bob Crow The sudden death of UK union leader Bob Crow in March 2014 at age 52 was a sad event.

Bob had provided great leadership as General Secretary of the RMT Union in the UK for over a decade. That union had grown substantially and it was widely regarded as one of the most effective UK unions in delivering for its members.

The RMT shares many similarities with MUNZ in our history especially with connections between seafarers in the UK and in New Zealand, as the National Union of Seamen in the UK merged into the RMT in 1990.

Bob was a good friend of our Union and many of our officials and members would have met him over the years as the RMT was very active in the ITF and had an international outlook.

His premature passing is a great loss to his family and friends and the whole labour movement, but his legacy will remain.

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Regional Maritime Federation meeting, 28 March 2014, Auckland, New Zealand

Maritime unions gather to strengthen South Pacific trade unionism Maritime Unions have met in Auckland, New Zealand, to work towards a Regional Maritime Federation to build union strength throughout the South Pacific.

The meeting brought together the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ), the Papua New Guinea Maritime and Transport Workers’ Union (MTWU), the Australian Maritime Officers’ Union (AMOU), the Merchant Service Guild (MSG) and the Aviation and Marine Engineers’ Association (AMEA).

All are affiliates of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

ITF president and national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia Paddy Crumlin said the purpose and focus of the federation is to strengthen the capacity of the unions in the transport sector to effectively represent the interests of their members, as well as to increase the capacity of the union movement in the region.

Mr Crumlin said it was a positive development to have a number of observer unions present at the meeting who played important roles in the maritime industry.

“What we are seeking to do is form a Regional Maritime Federation with a real structure that is accountable, with proper rules, so we can sit with employers in the region and talk about how we can deliver productivity and safety,” Mr Crumlin said.

“There are many areas of common interest we are working on, including the growing offshore resources sector and the fisheries sector.”

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ITF acting general secretary Steve Cotton added: “It’s great to see strong ITF unions working together to strengthen not only their members’ rights, but also to address issues regionally and internationally. This move makes trade unionism stronger.”

The Maritime Union of New Zealand hosted the meeting. MUNZ national secretary Joe Fleetwood said the international and global nature of the maritime industry required an international approach by unions.

“In the globalised economy, unions must operate globally to ensure we are not isolated by national borders while corporate interests dominate international supply chains,” Mr Fleetwood said.

“The Regional Maritime Federation has the potential to build a dialogue with other maritime and transport unions in our region.”

The Auckland meeting follows an inaugural meeting in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, in November 2013.

MTWU national secretary Reg McAlister said that there were potentially tens of thousands of workers who could be unionised in PNG, across the burgeoning oil and gas and fisheries sectors.

“In PNG, trade unionism is very much in its infancy.

Working together is what unions are all about and international solidarity can only benefit developing nations like ours,” Mr McAlister said.

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ITF weighs in on multimillion dollar fisheries dispute International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) president Paddy Crumlin has met with key stakeholders in Auckland, New Zealand, about the ongoing campaign to secure NZD30 million in unpaid wages for fishers in the region.

The ITF has contributed to Slave Free Seas’ campaign to claim outstanding wages in the vicinity of NZ$30 million through the New Zealand courts.

Mr Crumlin met with senior union representatives from Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, the Slave Free Seas’ advocacy group and the Merchant Service Guild as part of the Regional Maritime Federation meeting.

The Regional Maritime Federation brings together maritime unions from Australia, New Zealand and PNG to try to build trade union capacity in the region.

Mr Crumlin, who is also Maritime Union of Australia national secretary, said it was imperative that fisheries workers get better wages and conditions in an industry in which 24,000 people die across the world each year.

“Slave Free Seas acts on behalf of fishers where they have no representation and legal redress,” Mr Crumlin said. “We commend the initiative of Slave Free Seas as we try to break apart the industrial model upon which commercial fishing is built because it is akin to modern day slavery.”

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Joe Fleetwood said the New Zealand Parliament needed to pass its fishing slavery laws as a matter of urgency.

“The bill has now been pushed number to 27 on the parliamentary bills list, placing it in real danger of not being addressed before the upcoming national election,” Mr Fleetwood said.

Johnny Hansen, chair of the ITF fisheries section, offered his full support to the Slave Free Seas’ campaign and to Joe Fleetwood and his colleagues in MUNZ in their battle to end the modern slavery in the fishing industry. “This fits in very well with the work programme of the ITF fisheries section,” he said, “And all initiatives taken to combat this are most welcome and can count on our support.”

It is almost two years since the government concluded a ministerial Inquiry into the use of foreign charter vessels after national and international accusations of slave labour in New Zealand waters.

The legislation to implement the recommendations, including a requirement that all vessels be New Zealand flagged by 2016, is yet to be passed.

New Zealand’s use of cheap labour on fishing boats was scathingly labelled ‘21st Century slavery’ in a US State Department report released in mid-2012.

It cited conditions of forced labour, including debt bondage, imposition of significant debts, physical violence, mental abuse and excessive hours of work aboard vessels in New Zealand waters. www.munz.org.nz

Thousands rally to oppose secretive TPPA deal Thousands of people took part in rallies and marches across the country on Saturday 29 March to stand up for New Zealand’s right to determine its own future, in a national day of action against the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement.

The day of action was coordinated by Its Our Future, a coalition of groups opposed to the TPPA including the Maritime Union of New Zealand.

“The Maritime Union of New Zealand has consistently opposed free trade agreements including the TPPA,” says Maritime Union National Secretary Joe Fleetwood.

Mr Fleetwood says the effects of so-called free trade policies on the maritime industry have been severe around the world.

“New Zealand maritime workers are working with maritime workers around the Pacific Rim to oppose the TPPA. The TPPA has a hidden agenda and could lead to further loss of secure jobs, the downward spiral of wages and working conditions, and the undermining of many aspects of our national sovereignty and democracy. The TPPA must be stopped in its tracks.”

The national day of action was supported by the Green, New Zealand First, Maori and Mana parties.

Formal sponsors included Oxfam, Greenpeace and the Council of Trade Unions.

More information at itsourfuture.org.nz

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The case against Qatar

By Sharan Burrow ITUC President Images of football stadium workers sleeping ten to a room in squalid rooms and their dangerous cooking facilities provoked a furious response from authorities in Qatar after they were published in an ITUC report, The Case Against Qatar.

Refusing to take responsibility for the 1.4 million workers in Qatar and abandoning people are hallmarks of a regime which is coming under increasing pressure to abolish the kafala system of modern day slavery and introduce international labour standards if they are to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

The Qatar Supreme Committee for Legacy and Development, responsible for the implementing the 2022 World Cup, denied they were responsible for the workers at Al Wakrah stadium, and said they are not covered by the Supreme Committee Workers’ Welfare Standards designed to appease international unease with labour abuses in the country.

“The regime . . . is coming under increasing pressure to introduce international labour standards if they are to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.”

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The ITUC shared the disturbing evidence with FIFA after a site visit in February. It is now claimed that the workers will be housed in better facilities at the end of March, where they can live like human beings.

That anyone in the sporting community of Qatar thought it was reasonable to house workers in these conditions in the first place appals us.

When will the workforce behind the richest country in the world and the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup be treated as human beings with decent housing, fundamental rights and no longer live with the enslavement of kafala?

Qatar is a country without a conscience.

While there are many highly educated and generous Qatari citizens, the reality is that there is only a facade of government. Qatar is run like a family business.

Ministers with little power try to manage portfolios that democratic governments usually manage, but with only the shadow of a civil service.

Fundamental rights and freedoms do not exist for workers in Qatar, whether for poor migrant workers or highly paid professional expatriates.

Foreign workers are enslaved – owned by employers who hold the power of recruitment, total control over wages and conditions of employment, the authority to issue ID cards (not having an ID card can lead to prison) and the ability to refuse a change of employment or an exit visa to leave the country. This is known as the kafala system.

Poor migrant workers living in squalor, are forced to work long hours in unbelievable heat six days a week. Kept in an apartheid situation, they are dying in unprecedented numbers.

Foreign embassies in Qatar are forced to keep quiet about the mass deaths of their citizens out of fear of retaliation by the authorities. Diplomatic sources say they have been urged to play down or deny workrelated fatalities, with the threat of turning off the flow of remittances from Qatar to home.

Women and children without husbands or male sponsors, and the victims of abuse, including rape, and are imprisoned in detention centres that are crowded and unhygienic. Detainees have no knowledge of what fate awaits them. Embassies are not given full access to the detention centre, and no records of who has been detained are available.

There is no effective labour compliance system in what is effectively a police state. The minuscule labour inspectorate is no match for the vast number of worksites and labour camps in and around Doha.

The ITUC recently visited several thousand workers in ten labour camps to the east and south of Doha.

Labour camps are run by slum landlords who rent them to companies, or are managed by the companies themselves. A camp boss or company security guard patrols the camp. Many do not even provide fresh water. I tasted the salty water used for drinking and washing.

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The Industrial Area, 25 km from downtown Doha, is a grid of 52 streets lined with buses to transport workers to sites, JCBs and hazardous machinery.

Behind the compounds with the machinery are single and sometimes double-story buildings with rooms of eight to twelve workers, one toilet and washing area and one kitchen. Sixty percent of labour camps in the Industrial Area are home to Nepali workers.

Grown men said they were treated like animals, living like horses in a stable.

Saniya is 35 km from Doha and has a similar set of ramshackle buildings, industrial equipment and homes. Generators provide power, and raw sewage can be seen running by the camps. Al Wakrah, 27 km south of Doha, is home of one of the World Cup stadiums, has numerous labour camps.

Blue overalls and men’s clothes hanging out to dry are ugly clues to the squalor of the labour camps that Qatar chooses not to acknowledge.

It is clear that no inspector has visited the labour camps we saw for a long time, if ever.

An ineffective court system, made worse by employers delaying tactics, can mean that years pass before a judgement is issued, while workers are trapped without income and without support.

Workers are trapped in a broken system.

Tragically, a small number of Qatari power brokers have chosen to build the trappings of a modern economy off the backs of exploited and enslaved workers.

Qatar must change. FIFA can make a difference by making the abolishment of kafala and the respect of international rights a condition of Qatar hosting the World Cup in 2022.

If FIFA demand Qatar abolish kafala and respect fundamental international rights, it will happen.

This week the powerful FIFA Executive Committee will meet in Zurich to assess the progress of Qatar in meeting international labour standards.

The Case Against Qatar shows the damning proof of how far Qatar will go to deny workers their rights.

From salty water being provided to workers in camps for cooking and washing, to employers demanding deposits of US$275 are paid by workers before they are allowed to leave for holidays, and over 2500 Indonesian maids a year fleeing from abusive sponsors, the case against Qatar grows stronger every day.

For more information see www.equaltimes.org

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30 Years since Trades Hall Bombing 27 March 2014 was the 30th anniversary of the Trades Hall bombing in Wellington. The bomb killed Ernie Abbot, President of the Wellington Caretakers’ and Cleaners’ Union.

No one has ever been charged with Ernie’s murder.

CTU President Helen Kelly says the bombing of the Hall was a direct attack on democracy in New Zealand aimed at destabilising the union movement and the values it promotes.

“It occurred in a climate promoted by the Government of the day where unions and their members were portrayed in negative terms and personal attacks on union leaders was a normal affair. It is uncertain that any lessons were learned regarding the danger of this kind of unprincipled rhetoric and while the nature of attacks on workers’ rights to organise may have changed, the underlying theme of reducing rights for workers in New Zealand has continued a pace."

“Ernie was an ordinary man who believed that we all should have the right to a safe work place with decent pay and conditions. He paid the ultimate price for those beliefs,” Kelly said.

“We honour the thousands of everyday heroes who stand up for justice and equality. Ernie was one of these heroes and that’s why we’ll always remember him.

“Today we remember Ernie, and trade unionists all over the world, who have died fighting for the rights of others.”

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Support for Californain workers: MUNZ Local 13 members picket at the Auckland offices of Graeme Hart in support of US based manufacturing workers at Pactiv in California whose terms and conditions of employment are under attack.

New Zealand multi-billionaire Graeme Hart is the principal owner of the subsidiary companies that own Pactiv.

Renewed calls for shipping lanes

Cocaine found in empty container

Wellington based marine expert John Riding has detailed many recent near miss incidents by large vessels coming close to grounding on the New Zealand coast and offshore islands and reefs.

The Maritime Union is backing his call for shipping lanes to be put in place on the New Zealand coast.

Maritime Union of New Zealand national secretary Joe Fleetwood says there is real potential for another Rena type grounding.

“This is a basic measure to tighten up the maritime industry.”

He says there is enormous time pressure to maintain shipping schedules and this obviously can conflict with safety best practice. The same pressures are behind New Zealand’s bad health and safety record in many industries that have been deregulated and where profit is put before safety.

Most large vessels on the New Zealand coast are flag of convenience vessels, which increase risks due to lack of regulation in flag states, and in many cases are in poor condition.

“The New Zealand coast is an unforgiving environment and we should not wait for another Rena type situation to move on this issue.”

Lyttelton Port Company staff repairing a refrigeration unit on an empty shipping container made an unusual discovery.

Three large packages of white powder were found by workers at city depot in Woolston on Monday 10 February.

Investigators believe it is a shipment of cocaine, which has an average street value of about $400 a gram.

Large quantities of the addictive, Class-A controlled drug are rarely found in New Zealand.

The shipment, which had an estimated street value of more than $1 million, was not bound for New Zealand, police said.

The container was routed from South America to Europe. Police and Customs exhausted all inquiries trying to work out who was responsible for the shipment.

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Voting in the 2014 general election Enrolment information

Getting on the electoral roll is essential to have a say in this years general election.

In 1981 turnout was 89%. In 2011 it was 69%.

Although 94 percent of eligible voters were enrolled in 2011, 840,000 of them did not vote. Some of these people (around 300,000) had however voted in 2005 and/or 2008.

Unions are encouraging all people to vote in 2014.

Being on the roll is essential to vote.

Who can enrol to vote?

You qualified to enrol if: • you are 18 years or older • you are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident (see what this means below) • you have lived in New Zealand for one year or more without leaving the country.

(A permanent resident is someone who is entitled by law to live permanently in New Zealand. If you have to leave the country by a set date you are not a permanent resident for electoral purposes. This includes people who have student or visitor permits.)

The sooner people enrol the better.

Voting starts

Voting starts on Wednesday 3 September.

This period is known as “advanced voting” but is open to everyone, you don’t need to meet specific criteria to vote on this day.

During this period you can enrol and vote on the same day. Workers who are rostered or likely to be working on September 20 should consider voting during this period. The last day to vote is Saturday 20 September.

Election Day 20 September

It is very important that people know that they can not enrol and vote on Election Day. Many people do this and assume their vote is counted. Their vote will not be counted.

Useful resources

• Main website www.elections.org.nz • 24 hour Freephone 0800 36 76 56 • Text enrol name and address to 3676 • Electoral commission enrolment campaign runs 23 June – 31 July. Enrolment update packs sent out.

“Check your details, sign and return” is the message.

• Electoral commission on Facebook www. Facebook.com/IvoteNZ

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Branch and local contacts Whangarei Secretary: Ben Hathaway Home: (09) 4343152 President: John Farrow Mobile: 021 855121 Address: PO Box 397, Whangarei 0140 Email: ben.hathaway@munz.org.nz

Auckland Local 13 Phone: (09) 3034 652 Fax: (09) 3096 851 President: Garry Parsloe Mobile: 021 326 261 Email: garry.parsloe@munz.org.nz Secretary: Russell Mayn Mobile: 021 760 886 Email: russell.mayn@munz.org.nz Vice President: Carl Findlay Mobile: 021 760 887 Email: carl.findlay@munz.org.nz Vice President: Patrick Honan Mobile: 021 293 9156 Address: PO Box 1840, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140

Mount Maunganui Phone: (07) 5755 668 Fax: (07) 5759 043 President: Peter Harvey Mobile: 027 5501 566 Secretary: Selwyn Russell Mobile: 0274 782308 Email: selwyn.russell@munz.org.nz Address: PO Box 5121, Mt. Maunganui 3150 Gisborne Local 38 Secretary: James Harvey Mobile: 027 508 4470 Address: 21 Titoki Place, Elgin, Gisborne 4010 Email: dein.ferris@munz.org.nz New Plymouth Secretary: Terry Whitehead Phone/Fax: (06) 751 5514 Email: npmunz@yahoo.com

Mobile: 027 468 0050 Address: PO Box 6084, New Plymouth

Napier Secretary: Bill Connelly Mobile: 027 6175441 Phone/Fax: (06) 8358 622 Address: PO Box 70, Napier Email: bill.connelly@munz.org.nz Wellington Secretary: Mike Clark Mobile: 0274 538222 Email: mike.clark@munz.org.nz Phone: (04) 3859 288 Fax: (04) 3848 766 Asst. Secretary: John Whiting Mobile: 021 606379 Email: john.whiting@munz.org.nz Phone: (04) 8017 619 Address: PO Box 27004, Wellington 6141 President: Alan Windsor Mobile: 021 148 3771 Vice President: Jimmy King Mobile: 027 363 0194 Nelson Secretary: Ken Knox Phone/Fax: (03) 547 2102 Email: ken.knox@munz.org.nz

Mobile: Address:

027 6222691 PO Box 5016, Nelson

Lyttelton Local 43 President: Brad Fletcher Mobile: 027 662 3233 Secretary: Les Wells Mobile: 027 432 9620 Phone/Fax: (03) 3288 306 Address: PO Box 29, Lyttelton Email: les.wells@munz.org.nz

Timaru Secretary: Tony Townshend Mobile: 027 4324134 Address: PO Box 813, Timaru Email: tony.townshend@munz.org.nz

Port Chalmers Dunedin Local 10 Phone: (03)4728 052 Fax: (03) 4727 492 Secretary: Phil Adams Mobile: 0274 377601 Email: phil.adams@munz.org.nz President: Ben George Mobile: 021 472 021 Email: ben.george@munz.org.nz Address: PO Box 44, Port Chalmers Bluff Phone/Fax: President: Email: Secretary: Email:

(03) 2128 189 Harry Holland harry.munz@xtra.co.nz Ray Fife ray.fife@munz.org.nz

Address: PO Box 5, Bluff Mobile: 027 228 4315 Mobile: 027 447 5317

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Fisheries agreement a positive step

Transport workers back Korean unions

The Maritime Union says the ratification of a new global fisheries agreement by the New Zealand Government is positive news.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Port State Measures Agreement is designed to fight illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing.

Maritime Union National Secretary Joe Fleetwood says New Zealand still has a long way to go to fix systemic problems in the fishing sector.

“The consistent theme is that illegal fishing is often linked to exploitation of crew members and other abuses.”

He says the full enforcement of current laws and regulations was still required.

New Zealand is the ninth country to ratify the agreement, which requires 25 ratifications to come into force. Despite the Government announcement in 2012 that Foreign Charter Vessels (FCVs) in New Zealand waters would have to be reflagged to the New Zealand flag by 2016, bringing them under the full range of New Zealand law, there have been ongoing problems in the industry.

Recent examples include a serious injury to a New Zealand Government observer on a FCV resulting in the amputation of an arm in January this year, and raids by authorities on FCVs in Timaru for suspected illegal activity in 2013.

The International Transport Workers Federation has slammed attacks against the Korean Railway Workers’ Union (KRWU).

KRWU members went on strike against planned privatisation measures for 23 days in December 2013.

Four union leaders were arrested for their part in organising the strike. The ITF welcomed the news that the leaders had been released on bail on 20 February, but was alarmed to hear that they will be tried later this month.

Employer Korail has announced that it will discipline 404 KRWU officers involved with the strike.

Of these workers, 130 have been sacked – some with reduced severance pay – and 251 have been suspended.

Korail has also filed a lawsuit 15.2 billion won (USD14.5) against the union and its leaders, while a union bank account has been frozen.

Korail’s actions have been met with international condemnation. The ITF, International Trade Union Confederation and Public Services International have all asked the Korean president to intervene.

$150,000 costs for rogue trawler A seized Korean deep-sea fishing trawler has cost taxpayers $150,000 since being laid up at a Dunedin wharf over a year ago.

The Melilla 201 had to be professionally fumigated after being found to be infested with rats and lice.

The vessel has been investigated for illegal fishing, human rights and employment abuse after being seized in May 2013. It has a long history of problems over the years, noted by the Maritime Union.

The Melilla 201 is the subject of an application to the courts to be sold.

The vessel was seized by authorities under section 207 of the Fisheries Act. The Ministry for Primary Industries says the vessel was involved in unlawfully discarding quota species fish into the sea.

Charges relate to two fishing trips during 2011, the same year the vessel and its sister ship, Melilla 203 which is also berthed in Dunedin - became embroiled in claims from their Indonesian crews of unpaid wages.

The trawlers are owned by Taejin Fisheries, which is based in Pusan, South Korea.

12 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

New laws an attack on workers The Employment Relations Amendment Bill passed its second reading in the New Zealand Parliament in March.

New Zealand Council of Trade Unions President Helen Kelly described the changes to employment law as “very significant.”

Ms Kelly says the rights of workers to collectively bargain will be fundamentally compromised and as a result wages will be lower.

“This Bill weakens protections for workers at the times they are most vulnerable: when they are trying to get a new job and when their jobs are at risk. Removing the right for workers to have a tea break is evidence that the Government doesn’t care about workers.”

www.munz.org.nz

Vale Bob Crow: 1961–2014 Bob Crow, general secretary of the ITF-affiliated RMT Union in the UK, and ITF executive board member from 2002 onwards, died in London on 11 March 2014 following a heart attack.

He was 52.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the Maritime Union was shocked and saddened by the news.

“Bob was a good friend to our Union, and a courageous working class fighter who led from the front. He was also a personal friend to me and many others in the movement.”

Mr Fleetwood says although Mr Crow’s life work was cut tragically short, he set a high standard and his achievements speak for themselves.

“He delivered for RMT members and advocated for the industrial and political interests of all transport workers.”

“We join workers around the world in mourning the loss of an inspiring friend and true comrade, and in extending our sincere condolences to Bob’s family and friends.”

ITF global president Paddy Crumlin said Bob Crow was a worker and a leader of the working women and men in his union, in his country and in the world.

“His unassailable courage, moral persistence, generosity of spirit and inevitable humour inspired and encouraged trade unionists, civil rights advocates and politically progressive human beings in every field of endeavour to be more effective and try harder for a better and more equitable life for all, regardless of race, gender, age or material circumstance.”

www.munz.org.nz

Nelson Mandela remembered The Maritime Union of New Zealand has paid its respects to the late Nelson Mandela, who died on 5 December 2013 at the age of 95.

Mandela rose to prominence as a key leader of the ANC in the liberation movement in South Africa.

He was imprisoned for 27 years for his political activities, most of this time serving hard labour in Robben Island prison off Cape Town.

Although jailed for life, he was released in 1990 and received a Nobel Prize.

He was elected South Africa’s president in the country’s first multi-racial elections in 1994.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Joe Fleetwood says maritime workers were longtime supporters of the battle against apartheid.

“Seafarers and waterfront workers in New Zealand were active over many decades in supporting the struggle of Nelson Mandela and the countless others who fought against this evil system.”

Mr Fleetwood says that for many years the political establishment in New Zealand and elsewhere in the Western world labelled Mandela and anti-apartheid militants as terrorists.

“During this time of shame, maritime workers backed the global struggle against apartheid.”

“We are proud of our small role and we salute the memory and legacy of Nelson Mandela.”

The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 13

New Zealand’s offshore resources – who benefits?

By Joe Fleetwood National Secretary, Maritime Union of New Zealand The Maritime Union supports the responsible development of the offshore industry, both for oil and gas, and mineral resources. But we have a very different vision of how those resources should be developed, and how the benefits are distributed, than the current Government and their corporate backers.

Debate on the offshore industry has become polarised between hardened pro and anti drilling and mining positions.

Some of the major issues are being sidelined or ignored.

On the pro side a number of unrealistic expectations are being promoted.

The benefits of developing our maritime resources are numerous. Obviously for the maritime workers MUNZ represents there are jobs, and the boost to regional economies can be seen in the case of Taranaki.

Yet there are downsides too, and most importantly the question needs to be asked: “who benefits?”

It’s in the interests of the current Government to pump the prospects up.

The sad fact is New Zealand is heavily reliant on our extractive industries to make up the economic shortfall for the irresponsible tax cuts and a generation of free market ideology which has created a vast social deficit.

The New Zealand economy is doing great we are told, but unfortunately the people of New Zealand are not doing so well in many cases.

14 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

Unemployment remains high, concentrated in some communities, and is an intergenerational threat to our society, along with casualization, and low wage jobs.

One thing is for sure that the trickle down effect is not the model we want to follow when it comes to distributing the benefits from the offshore industry.

Look at the United Kingdom, where the benefits of North Sea oil and gas were squandered in the Thatcher years.

A recent article in the UK Guardian by Aditya Chakrabortty (13 January 2014) described how the North Sea billions were transformed into tax cuts for the wealthy, with one economist suggesting one effect of the resulting boost in disposable income of the already rich was pushing up house prices. Sound familiar?

In Australia, the miners’ union, the CFMEU, has shown how the major benefits of the “resources boom” have accrued to a minority in their November 2013 report “Sharing the Benefits.”

CFMEU miners’ leader Andrew Vickers told media: “We have experienced a major boom but have relatively little to show from it, other than that it helped us avoid the worst of the global financial crisis . . .Too much has gone into the pockets of shareholders and management, mostly based overseas, and too little to the Australian community that owns the resources.”

The billionaire mining heiress Gina Reinhart summed up the attitude of this rentier class in 2012 by complaining publicly that Australia was becoming too expensive and too uncompetitive for export-oriented business. www.munz.org.nz

“Africans want to work, and its workers are willing to work for less than $2 per day. Such statistics make me worry for this country’s future,” she announced in a video.

Contrast this bizarre outlook with Norway, with its planned approach for long term industries.

A generation ago the decision was made to invest North Sea oil and gas proceeds for the long term benefit of the Norwegian people.

Taxes, license fees and income from the majority State-owned producer Statoil have built up the largest pension fund in the world. There is plenty of debate and disagreement about the fund in Norway, but this is the kind of problem you want to have.

For a more radical example, the Government of Venezuela has used the income from their oil resources to transform the lives of the poor majority, once denied access to the benefit of their national resources.

Despite the best attempts of destabilisation from vested interests, Venezuela has pushed forward an ambitious social programme to alleviate the worst of the poverty that scarred its history.

New Zealand could use our offshore resources to benefit all, but under current policy we are more likely to see the benefits go to a few. That can’t be allowed to happen.

The opposition to the offshore industry is understandable but on closer examination is often inconsistent.

Oil and gas corporates are not a specifically evil group of entities, any more than any large capitalist corporation.

They are simply profit maximising machines and will do whatever they can to maximize their profits.

Climate change is a reality and a threat to human existence.

The danger of oil spills is real too. But the danger of oil spills is not a New Zealand only phenomenon.

New Zealanders will still use fossil fuels and their byproducts regardless of whether we drill. So in a sense there is an element of hypocrisy at play.

There is a disconnect operating here.

The entire New Zealand economy uses oil and gas. It uses minerals. This is not going to change tomorrow or even in ten years’ time.

We are now plugged into a globalised international economy and to move to a new system requires more than moralistic slogans.

This is not arguing that the global free market is a good thing. The Maritime Union has argued against corporate globalisation and free trade deals, and the worst excesses of contemporary capitalism on workers and the environment.

But we have to work from where we are, not from where we would like to be.

www.munz.org.nz

To try and separate off from this system overnight is not going to happen. Organic fruit and vegetables are not transported to inner city customers by donkey and cart.

To simply say, let’s stop it, is not feasible.

New Zealand needs a transition plan and the limited use of our offshore reserves over the next period can help pay for this.

For example, due to the backward approach of our Government, we have seen the rapid expansion of roads and the movement of freight by trucks, which objectively speaking is absolutely ridiculous. Surely this is a better place to start the move away from a fossil fuel economy?

New Zealand is a maritime nation and our future lies in the vast oceans that surround us.

The Maritime Union advocates a national strategy to develop offshore resources, not fritter them away in pumping up the incomes of the already wealthy.

A sovereign fund is one option, but given New Zealand’s descent into developing world status in some communities, an immediate programme of raising wages and benefits for the poorest and most disadvantaged is required.

This must be supplemented with an integrated housing, education and health programme to ensure that no New Zealanders go without the basics.

Secondly, acknowledging the fossil fuels will have to be phased out over time, offshore income must be directed to a long term strategy with a focus on moving New Zealand beyond a fossil fuel based economy, developing renewable energy generation and building a transport system based on low impact coastal shipping and rail.

Finally, we must have a unionised workforce which can act as a safeguard to ensure world class health and safety practices.

For example, MUNZ suggested prior to the grounding of the Rena, the provision of an industry funded fast response vessel to deal with offshore incidents (no progress on this has been made by Government as yet.)

In addition we have called for Floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels used in offshore production to be crewed by qualified seafarers.

The review of New Zealand health and safety laws following Pike River is important. The hard lesson was that private corporations were allowed, through poor regulation and so-called “pro business” policies, to prioritise profit over worker safety. It must not be allowed to ever happen again.

New Zealanders should rightly be concerned about the dangers and downsides of offshore drilling and mining, but used responsibly, these resources could be directed to building a post-carbon economy and overcoming poverty and want in New Zealand.

The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 15

Maritime news New offshore permits awarded The Government awarded 10 new oil and gas exploration permits in December 2013,five in the offshore.

Octanex NZ gained an offshore Taranaki permit, Statoil Lambda Netherlands BV an offshore ReingaNorthland permit, Woodside Energy Holdings and New Zealand Oil & Gas two offshore permits in Taranaki and the Great South Basin South (Canterbury) and New Zealand Oil & Gas, one offshore permit in the Great South Basin.

Norwegian involvement Statoil has a 15-year permit to explore off the ReingaNorthland coast.

Statoil is 67%-owned by the Norwegian government. It says it will be doing three years of initial investigative work into its Reinga-Northland deepwater block before deciding whether to drill an exploratory well.

Otago test drilling In February 2014, the Noble Bob Douglas carried out a $130 million test drill 60km off the coast of Otago Peninsula for Anadarko.

Port Chalmers and Bluff are both potential service ports if the exploratory drilling is successful in this area.

Great South Canterbury Basin surveyed Shell has begun a 2-D seismic survey further south in the Great South Canterbury Basin (GSCB).

By 2016 Shell, in partnership with OMV and Mitsui, planning a $150 million test drill in GSCB. New Zealand Oil & Gas has completed a 3-D seismic survey looking for likely drill zones off the coast of Oamaru, and has partnered with Woodside Petroleum (Australia) to conduct a 3-D seismic survey southeast of Stewart Island in 2015/2016.

16 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

Ironsands The Australian corporate BlueScope will introduce a 175,000 tonne slurry loading vessel at Taharoa, south of Kawhia, in 2016 and spend A$50 million through 2018 on mining, processing and ship loading equipment.

The third ship will add 1.3 million tonnes a year of export capacity at Taharoa, and estimates the resource at Taharoa is sufficient to produce 4 million tonnes a year for 15 years.

It is one of two sites where BlueScope extracts iron sand in New Zealand, along with the 1.2 million tonnes a year Waikato North Head mine. BlueScope also operates the Glenbrook steel mill south of Auckland.

Trans-Tasman Resources is seeking a marine consent from the Environmental Protection Authority to mine up to 50 million tonnes of seabed material a year off the coast of Patea.

Trans-Tasman plans to extract between 4 million and 5 million tonnes a year starting in 2016 from a 65.76 square kilometre area off the North Island coast, west of Patea.

Chatham Rise Phosphate Chatham Rise Phosphate expects to begin operations at end of 2016 in partnership with global corporate Boskalis.

They plan suction dredging on the Chatham Rise for phosphate nodules which will then be returned to shore for processing.

China buys in to Pacifica The China Navigation Company is buying Pacifica Shipping from the Dunedin-based Skeggs Group of companies.

CNC is the deep-sea shipping arm of the multinational Swire Group.

Pacifica would remain an independent operation headquartered in Auckland.

www.munz.org.nz

Brett Gill and Alf Boyle at the salvage operation for Rena accommodation block, March 2014

Inland ports to compete at Rolleston Two inland port hubs will be built in Rolleston, south of Christchurch, in a turf war between two of New Zealand’s largest ports.

The Port of Tauranga is buying up 15ha of commercial land at the Izone Industrial Park in Rolleston to create a new inland port.

Port of Lyttelton followed with an announcement that it had bought 27 hectares adjacent to the main south rail line near Rolleston for the development of a second inland port. The proposed new POL site would be connected by rail to both CityDepot and the Lyttelton container terminal.

The Port of Tauranga recently purchased a half share in Port of Timaru and the new inland port announcement is seen as part of a strategic move in to the South Island. It spent $21.6 million to buy into Prime Port Timaru and $37.2 million to expand its inland port at Metro Port Auckland.

A rail link to Timaru is thought to be a key factor because containers would travel between Timaru and Rolleston by rail. The inland ports may become part of an export hub for primary products and particularly dairy exports.

Rolleston is approximately 120 kilometres north of one of Fonterra’s largest sites, Clandeboye, which processes about 40 per cent of all Fonterra South Island milk. Synlait’s plant is also south at Rakaia and Westland Milk Products was also based at Rolleston.

The Warehouse has its South Island distribution centre at Rolleston.

www.munz.org.nz

Cement terminals go ahead in Auckland and Timaru Cement supplier Holcim is investing around $50 million in a new cement terminal in Primeport Timaru, and a similar amount at Waitemata in Auckland.

The respective South and North island terminals would process imported bulk cement to supply the New Zealand market.

Coastal ships will feed cement out from Timaru and Waitemata to secondary sites like Lyttelton.

The projects will take two to three years to complete.

Picton picks up after Clifford Bay shelved Picton shipping infrastructure could receive a major boost after the Government shelved a proposed new terminal at Clifford Bay. Up to $100 million could be invested over the next decade by Port Marlborough.

Cook Strait ferries will remain in the town, underpinning the port.

Long term projects being considered include a replacement wharf, a new multi-purpose berth in Picton Harbour for cruise ships and other scheduled sea-freight services, with Waimahara Wharf in Shakespeare Bay reverting to a dedicated bulk export berth, a new container crane and new freight areas and marshalling yards for Strait Shipping, which operates the Bluebridge roll-on, roll-off ferry service.

The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 17

60th Interport Sports

Whangarei, 16–20 February 2014

By Terry Ryan An overcast and windy Whangarei welcomed the athletes from around New Zealand as they gathered to contest the 60th Interport tournament.

Strong easterlies were to blow all week making for rough seas and trying conditions for the hardy fishermen, combined with impossible golfing conditions once the rain set in on Wednesday and Thursday.

This forced the closure of the golf course unfortunately.

Maybe that paints a foreboding picture. However, Interporters are a hardy and imaginative group and the event was once again a huge success, enjoyed by all of this resourceful bunch visiting the far North for friendly but nonetheless hard fought competition.

The Northland Club was headquarters for the tournament’s Sunday and Thursday dinners, along with the Interport Council of Sport meeting on the Sunday.

The meeting called for all MUNZ sports people to meet again in twelve months time in Lyttelton to celebrate the 61st Interport.

The next Interport will be well advertised with strict cut off dates for entry fees. The event will be only four years since the big earthquake, thus requiring accommodation numbers to be locked in early to secure bookings given the World Cup Cricket will also be in town.

Fishing Fishing took place aboard the Nimble 2 and the Cara J from Ruakaka adjacent to Marsden Point.

30 competitors participated in the fishing with teams representing Timaru, Wellington, Port Chalmers and Auckland.

Day one and two saw competition centered around the Hen and Chicken Islands with easterly winds and huge swells. As the skipper warned, “winds from the east catch the least”.

On days three and four the winds increased to the point where it was risky and dangerous to leave the harbour.

Fortunately the harbour is large and well stocked with snapper.

New Zealand’s biggest fishing tournament started the day after the Interport finished.

To assist the organisers the Cara J kept 3 snapper alive on reaching shore. One of these was tagged with the fishing show cameras recording the event. The boys were given T-shirts and hats along with a slab of beer.

They and the camera crew then released the tagged fish at a secret location. Although not caught, the tagged fish was worth $100,000.

18 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

Fishing Results Day One Largest snapper: Phil Simonson (1.1kg) Largest other fish (Trevally): Steve Conroy Jnr (2.2kg)

Day Two Largest snapper: Phil Simonson Largest other fish (Kahawai): Gwen Salalea

Day Three Largest snapper: Ray Munce (1.7kg) Largest other fish (Trevally): Phil Simonson (1.8kg)

Day Four Largest snapper: Phil Simonson (2.3kg) Largest other fish (Skate): Fred Salalea (3.2kg)

Fishing – Overall winners Wallace Investments Trophy for Largest snapper: Phil Simonson, Port Chalmers Port News Cup for Largest fish non-snapper: Fred Salalea, Auckland Biggest tail (unfortunate accident): Clive Giles, Port Chalmers Unluckiest fisherman: Terry Ryan, Auckland The Editor takes some comfort at receiving the shield for worst fisherman given that Phil Simonson won it in 2013. Mike Keepa and George Liska, Wellington, went close to the major prize as did Graham Thin, Timaru.

The fishing competition, organised by Ray Munce and Harry Mayn, was well run and went smoothly in all aspects. The fishermen wish to express their appreciation to their sponsors, John Van Aalst of Wallace Investments, Clive Hinton of East Coast Bays Couriers along with Phil Simonson’s donation of caps.

Also to those who supported the raffles – the winning numbers were No. 29 Yellow and No. 29 Pink.

Golf Whangarei’s Sherwood Park golf course was the host to the 61 golfers from nine ports around New Zealand who participated in the 60th Interport golfing competition.

The first thing on arrival that most competitors looked for was a mobile home parked in the car park. Sure enough, there it was – the home of Arty Pitcher, father of the Interport, residing in the car park as he has for many years from Bluff to Whangarei.

Arty formed the Auckland Waterside darts club in 1957.

In those days he played golf by day and darts by night.

This year Arty attended his 57th Interport, incredible as that may seem. Arty has been a sportsman all his life and was a very good rugby league player for Point Chevalier with his brothers. Mum was on the committee. He was also a proficient boxer. www.munz.org.nz

Sadly for the competitors, this year’s weather forced the course to close for the last day and a half.

However, this tournament always produces a moment to remember: recall Mike Myer’s hole in one two years ago. This year a ball hit by Trevor Wong crossed over to the next fairway owing to a huge hook.

Sadly it caught Ray Ashford of Mt Maunganui on the side of the head, resulting in a trip to the hospital where fortunately he was cleared with only a headache.

Indoor Sports

1st Brett Williams, Mt Maunganui 2nd Nigel Stokell, New Plymouth

Held at the Northland Club, the indoor sports had huge fields with competitors from all sports contesting the events.

A major highlight occurred in the darts competition when Local 13 Secretary Russell Mayn threw 180 in a second round game.

Unfortunately it was a piece of magic he could not repeat and Auckland’s main hope ebbed away.

Another highlight was the form of Ray Ashford winning the darts a day after being taken to hospital.

A naughty team mate said “he needed that to wake him up!” We could not say one way or the other.

The competition was run on pairs drawn at random.

Rare Cup (54 Hole Gross)

Darts

Golf Results Chapman Plate Cup (54 Hole Nett)

1st Robert Hawkins, Port Chalmers 2nd Fraser Adams, Port Chalmers

Flat Black Memorial (54 Hole Par) 1st Danny Manu, New Plymouth 2nd Danny Belsham, Auckland

George Waller (54 Hole Stableford) 1st Russell Mayn, Auckland 2nd Jason Newman, Wellington

Arty Pitcher Trophy (Visitors 54 Hole Nett)

Winners: Ray Ashford & Brett Williams both of Mt Maunganui Runners Up: Winkie Waugh, Port Chalmers and Dave Neill, Whangarei

Indoor Bowls Winners: Merve Hill, Mt Maunganui and Winkie Waugh, Pprt Chalmers Runners Up: Andy Borg, Lyttelton and Ian McDonald, Timaru

1st Darren Johnson, Whangarei 2nd Chris Ashbey, Whangarei

Ray Dobson Trophy (Visitors 54 Hole Gross) 1st Howie Wilson, Tauranga 2nd Ron Whitmore, New Plymouth

Norm Fisher (1 Day Gross) Eugene Douglas, Lyttelton

Lyttelton Tareha Cup (4 Ball) Mark McDonald, New Plymouth Darren Bowness

Wallington Trophy Graham Hindley, New Plymouth Neville Rowlands, New Plymouth

Most Honest Golfer: Mike Myers, Auckland Credit Union Cup (Ladies): Rained off KereKere Canoe (36 Hole 3 Gross & 3 Nett) 1st Port Chalmers (Frazer Adams, Graham Waugh, Cec McWilliams, Rob Hawkins) 2nd New Plymouth (Dan Manu, Graham Hindley, Neville Rowlands, Bob Surrey)

Phil Simonson of Port Chalmers with his winning snapper.

More photos of Interport 2014 online at www.munz.org.nz

Best Sportsman: George Ward, Wellington

www.munz.org.nz

The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 19

Health and safety news Forklift injury

Lyttelton fatality MUNZ member Warren Ritchie, 49, died after being struck by machinery on Saturday 21 December 2013.

He had been working as a trimmer in the hold of a bulk fertiliser carrier Citrus Venus berthed at Port of Lyttelton.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Joe Fleetwood said the death of the worker had hit the close knit workforce and community hard.

The Union is currently awaiting the coroner’s report into the incident.

Serious injury for Auckland watersider MUNZ member Neil Bower was seriously injured in a fall at Fergusson Terminal, Ports of Auckland, on 22 January 2014.

He was working aboard a container vessel and fell onto the wharf, then into the tide.

He has been recovering in Auckland Hospital.

20 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

A 21-year old forklift operator was injured after a shipping container fell on him at Lyttelton Port Company's (LPC) city depot yard on Saturday 4 January 2014.

The driver, who was not a MUNZ member, suffered head injuries and was taken to Christchurch Hospital.

A stacked container fell on to the cab of a forklift the worker was driving. The container was believed to have come from a stack that was seven containers high.

WorkSafe New Zealand issued improvement notices to the Lyttelton Port Company following this incident.

Safety notices for Lyttelton Following two fatalities and other incidents, the Lyttelton Port Company has been issued with five improvement notices from Worksafe New Zealand, the new health and safety agency of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Site safety inspectors found the company had been allowing empty containers to be stacked up to seven high at its inland port, with a risk that strong winds or earthquakes could cause a collapse.

Improvement notices related to "stacking heights, container alignment and directional signage".

A Worksafe NZ spokesperson said containers were being stacked "too high" and "there was an issue regarding stack heights with proximity to the boundary of the depot".

There were also issues in relation to vehicle speed around the depot.

www.munz.org.nz

Chemical fumes close Port Taranaki A chemical reaction that closed Port Taranaki on 20 January 2014 was caused by a Chinese crew misinterpreting instructions.

Crew aboard the bulk carrier MV Poavosa Wisdom had been told to let stevedores deal with a fumigant in canisters, but took matters into their own hands and moved it on board the vessel.

The aluminium phosphide fumigant reacted with rain and started smoking.

Firefighters at Port Taranaki donned heavy duty level 4 gas suits to work on stopping the leak.

A change of wind direction meant fire engines on the wharf had to be moved and another ship on the other side of the wharf was put to sea.

The Fire Service said there had been communication problems because most of the 21-strong crew did not speak English.

Fuel spill causes problems Thirty workers walked off the job at the Port of Lyttelton after fumes from a fuel spill caused nausea, eye and skin irritation.

1500 litres of kerosene fuel spilled into the harbour following a landslide that damaged tanks during a storm.

Maritime Union of New Zealand Lyttelton secretary Les Wells said six port workers were tying up a ship about 11pm on Wednesday 5 March 2014 when they started suffering from watering eyes and nausea.

By 2am Thursday most were suffering side-effects.

He said workers struggled to keep doing their jobs as they gagged from the stench and their sight was affected.

Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Ramon Pink told the Press newspaper short-term exposure was not associated with ongoing health problems.

Wells said the next group of workers resumed the next morning.

Coal loading suspended Coal delivery on train wagons was suspended at Lyttelton on 20 February.

Worksafe New Zealand had concerns about the lack of protection for workers on a conveyer belt used to load West Coast coal onto ships.

This saw the port closed to coal trains for 18 hours while temporary safety fences were installed.

www.munz.org.nz

Toucan Arrow at Tiwai (Bluff) in late February 2014.

The vessel was alongside when a split lift moved and fell.

No one was hurt in this incident but Bluff Branch President Harry Holland says “this just goes to show the dangers that we work in and the potential for serious injuries that are out there for one and all.�

New Zealand observer badly hurt on FCV fishing vessel A serious injury to a Government fisheries observer shows the clean up of the fishing industry is not moving fast enough.

Fisheries observer Martin Bowers had his arm yanked from its socket and his forearm mutilated when his lifejacket became snagged on a conveyor belt on a Korean fishing vessel south of Bluff on Friday night.

He is now recovering after being winched from the vessel by a rescue helicopter and having his arm amputated below the elbow at Dunedin Hospital.

The Government announced in 2012 that joint venture foreign fishing vessels would have to be reflagged to the New Zealand flag by 2016, bringing them under New Zealand health and safety regulations.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Joe Fleetwood says the incident reinforces the view of the Union that further delays in reflagging are putting crews and observers at risk on some vessels.

He says the reflagging should happen by the end of this year at the latest as serious incidents and harm were still occurring.

The Sur Este 700 has already been in the news after it struck rocks and spilled diesel fuel near Stewart Island in April 2013, requiring an expensive surveillance operation.

A sister vessel, the Sur Este 707, was raided by Government agencies in Timaru in February 2013.

Officers from Immigration New Zealand, the Labour Inspectorate and representatives from other agencies, including the police and Maritime New Zealand visited the Sur Este 707. The investigation followed information provided by a government fishery observer who noted possible issues with vessel safety, excessive hours of crew work and falsification of crew time records.

The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 21

National Secretary Joe Fleetwood (third from left), Port Chalmers Branch President Ben George (left) and Port Chalmers Branch Secretary Phil Adams (fourth from left) meeting with new Port Chalmers members from C3

Port Chalmers Dunedin

By Ben George and Phil Adams

Container Terminal Container volumes are once again starting to ramp up for the season. Resources quickly become stretched and extended hours become the norm.

The effects of fatigue are a constant issue with the nature of the shift patterns, especially at this time of year.

The two new Kalmar diesel electric straddle carriers are being taken through their paces and driver training is underway.

The arrival of a new Hyster side loader is a welcome sight as the current fleet of side loaders is ageing and these machines have an enormous workload within the terminal.

We also welcome two new members to the Terminal Team, Richard Markham and Brendon Jane. With numbers on the ground at a premium it is always great to have new blood coming through and I am sure they will be valuable members.

22 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

Warehousing The warehouse team is keeping up their reputation as a slick operation. Volumes are steady and membership in the warehouse is remaining static.

This is a reflection of a strong work ethic and high level of skill and goodwill of the members in warehousing.

Some of the warehouse staff has been picking up the odd shift or two in the terminal in the weekends washing containers. Those staff are appreciative of the opportunity to earn a little extra money and the terminal are able to benefit from the skills these staff are able to offer, a win win scenario.

C3 The arrival C3 to Log Stevedoring in the Port has presented the branch with some challenges.

All eyes are watching to see how C3 establish themselves within the Port and a lot of work is needed before the branch will be comfortable with how they conduct their business.

Our members with the company are currently on Individual Employment Agreements (IEA’s) and the branch is in talks with the management of C3 to negotiate a Collective Employment Agreement.

Time is of the essence as we all know how important it is we get these members covered by a collective.

We welcome our new members with C3 and early indications are they are a good bunch and are starting to become a tight unit. The branch would like to thank Joe Fleetwood for the work he is doing assisting the branch with the negotiations. www.munz.org.nz

Port Chalmers Cargo Services The lads have been reasonably busy with logs,fertiliser, fish and out of port transfers keeping them occupied. Obviously with C3 in the port there is a certain apprehension as to having their contracts lost to another stevedoring company.

As representatives of both groups, we are put in a difficult situation as PCCS and C3 are all members of MUNZ. As opposed to the Mainland situation we represent workers at both companies and want to make sure both survive in this tough environment.

I think what is important here is as all of those working for C3 and PC Cargo Services are members of MUNZ and any objections to what is happening should be directed at those responsible (not MUNZ members).

Ben, Stu and Phil are available to attend any meetings regarding this issue as employment of our members in our port is paramount.

Retired Members and Christmas Shout Our annual retired members and Christmas shout was held in the WIC building on Friday 13 December. It is always a pleasure to be able to share stories and a few beers with past and present members.

This is something everyone looks forward to and a great night was had by all in attendance. Thanks to Tank for his efforts in arranging the evening.

Sick Benefit We have been through a period of very high numbers of long term sickness or injury. Many now have successfully recovered and returned to work.

Currently Morris McLeod (a cargo handler) is off with a broken ankle and Graeme Wright (harbour control and Executive member) is off with ill health.

We wish them both a speedy and full recovery.

Bluff

By Harry Holland Greetings from Bluff. We hope you and your families all had a safe and great break.

Charlotte and Sam Firstly, a big thank you from the ports who put donations to the Gillam Family and their two wee ones for their operations in Auckland.

An update: Sam has had his Op done and is doing well, in fact he is going to school up there just now and Charlotte is going through her treatment just now. We hope she does OK too, it was a really good effort and once again thank you,

Health and safety There have been some things that are really starting to worry me about some of these ships on our coast.

At present we have had runners parting and crabs breaking open when full, cranes breaking down and a slack response from the ships’ crews when these things happen.

We had a recent incident at the smelter and were very lucky no one was hurt. While loading a split bundle of ingot, a spare hook foul hooked the off side and tipped the metal out of the lifting strap onto the off side platform, and then all over the wharf.

It makes you realise how dangerous our job is.

The job was stopped for about three and a half hours while there was an investigation.

Ross Tangney – life membership At our Christmas function Ross Tangney was made life member to Maritime Union of New Zealand. It was really pleasing to witness as he didn’t have a clue it was happening. Well done Ross and well deserved, the function was a good night too.

South Port South Port negotiations are still going on and seem to be moving in a slow manner, but we are still there at the table, not for too much longer we hope.

Interport Our guys seemed to enjoy themselves at the Interport and said a pity about the weather but still a good time.

Thanks to all who helped organise it.

To all the men from all the ports around the country that have been down here in Bluff to help us out in our very busy time of late, a huge thank you for your help, much appreciated.

Lastly to Justin, our man heading to Sydney for the War on the Wharves boxing event, good luck.

Bluff Branch member Tony Heslip congratulates Ross Tangney on his life membership of the Maritime Union of New Zealand (photo by Harry Holland) www.munz.org.nz

The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 23

Lyttelton

By Les Wells It is with sadness I write this report as since the last report we have had two deaths in the port.

One was a contractor, and the other was one of our casual members, Warren Ritchie.

The Union is awaiting the findings of the coroner in regard to this.

Our thoughts are with the families of both men.

It is a reminder of just how dangerous working on the waterfront is.

Health and safety On the issue of health and safety, one thing has been on my mind recently.

When I started there was no such thing as a mobile phone, or if there was it was that big it took two people to carry it.

When I move around the port I see the number of people on cellphones.

It is a distraction you do not need in this workplace.

C3 As in most South Island ports there has been a big increase of logs with C3 in Lyttelton getting their share of them.

I have been told they got a contract to unload 100 or more containers of pipes for the port rebuild.

SGS we are in the process of putting together their claims.

Road Tunnel We had a meeting last week to get a list of their claims to put forward to the employer.

Lyttelton Port Company LPC are taking on more staff in the terminal with 15 being taken on in the last few weeks.

Seafarers The seafarers I have spoken to recently tell me it is still very busy in the offshore.

Lyttelton Stevedoring Services LSS still have their bulk jobs and fertiliser job that keep them busy.

The port is starting to look as if there is some progress around the place.

24 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

The Lyttelton Loons Club

By Nev Walker Secretary, Lyttelton Workingmen’s Club

Some history of the club The 1951 Waterfront Dispute came about primarily over health and safety issues with the Employers, Government and Ship Owners wanting to break the militant Unions who would choose who worked on the wharf and what ships had preference.

Around that time the Lyttelton wharves were very labour intensive with 800 workers but seriously dangerous and dirty.

In 1950 there were four deaths on the wharf and 427 reported accidents.

The Lyttelton Industrial Health Centre treated 1914 patients in its first year. One third of unionists were on compo at sometime each year.

The watersiders were promised better facilities but after two years of no action the Union chose to put in place an overtime ban.

The response to this was a two day stand down for anyone refusing to do overtime after eight hours’ work so effectively you were cut to 16 hours a week.

Normally you could be required to work 68 hours a week. There were strikes before including 1913 with workers being blacklisted.

In 1951 a new National Government was in power – Sid Holland was Prime Minister and Keith Holyoake his Deputy. The dispute split the town and country, and with wharves not working, supplies became scarce throughout New Zealand. The dispute stretched on for 151 days.

The union was deregistered and the armed forces were brought in to unload ships. They camped at Naval point then named HMNZS Tasman.

Once outside labour was brought in there was no going back on the wharf. The one exemption was berthing the Interisland Ferry which continued to run.

Deregistering the Union meant assets went to the Government and there was a scramble to get the unions’ money out of the banks. Lyttelton got away with £2000 and Wellington lost £27,000.

The Loons was a Union asset so was given to the Workingmen’s Club of Lyttelton Inc which had been formed about 10 years by then.

The Watersiders Social Club became the Workingmen’s Club of Lyttelton Incorporated who still own the building. The building has been known as the Loons from the 1930s when it was Loons Garage.

The Loons became the place where the industrial action was organized and welfare was distributed.

Watersiders worked digging potatoes, taking home what they could carry. Cokers Hotel put on free beer for the potato diggers, Aulsebrooks gave sugar to the town and a bakery in Fendalton gave bread to the unionists.

A picture theatre in Riccarton gave free entry to the watersiders. www.munz.org.nz

Work progressing on the club rebuild in Lyttelton

Two thirds of watersiders lived in Christchurch.

The Press chose to turn the general public against the locked out workers. Many of the watersiders were ex-seamen who had jumped ship in New Zealand and were portrayed as agitators.

The watersiders were supported with industrial action by the Miners and Freezing Workers, and the Australian Unions gave £36,000 in support.

There was a ban on union meetings. Three people talking on the street was enough to have you locked up yet meetings went ahead each and every day in the Loons.

This building has seen some heated scenes and power plays, but also great community spirit.

Eventually, some men chose to go back to work and a big split happened in the town.

Strike breakers and their families were ostracized.

Eating houses and pubs were boycotted for serving strikebreakers.

This carried on for years after the dispute ended.

A new Union, the Maritime Workers’ Union, was formed on the wharf and when the union reached 400 members the deregistered men had to concede and join the new union to get back to work.

The strike breakers were forced off the wharf over time. 300 deregistered waterside workers never worked on Lyttelton wharves again.

The Loons became a place of reconciliation and was here for everyone whatever one’s position.

There were strict rules about not discussing politics.

The club ran picnics and a rifle range and support for those in hospital.

The sing-along around the piano was really popular and everyone had their family celebrations and commiserations here.

www.munz.org.nz

Before and after the earthquake Prior to the earthquake that devastated Lyttelton, the building was leased to the Loons Theatre Company who ran well supported shows, plays, music and community fund raisers.

The Workingmen’s Club kept a presence in the building with club Sundays but also maintained the building and continued to have its monthly meetings that being an incorporated society required.

After the June 2011 earthquake, the building was closed and the club again took responsibility for its future.

The building was regarded a write off but the committee believed it to be repairable and as a community asset that needed to be saved.

The club’s insurance was put into stabilizing the building, planning, engineering, design and the consent process. The theatre company and WMC made a joint application to the Mayoral relief fund and $250,000 was given to the building to start the repairs.

The club spent the next two years in dispute with the insurance companies and received a further $327,000 which have gone into the project.

We took on a very good funding administrator who has continued to apply for grants and to date the project has received $1,100,000 of which about $850,000 have been spent to date.

The vision is to create a Community Centre, Theatre, Arts and Music Venue for the town and Christchurch.

At this time we are asking Maritime Union members to join and support the club. We believe the Loons to be a piece of living local history. $30 is the subscription. All funds from memberships and donations go directly into materials and labour costs. Donations can be made to the Workingmen’s Club Lyttelton into account 020864:0011399:00:50 Memberships can be sent to PO Box 103, Lyttelton. please send full details including email address.

We are due to have the building closed in within the month. Updates and photos are on on the Lyttelton Loons Workingmen’s Club Facebook page.

Regards from the committee.

Contact Secretary Nev Walker on Mobile 02102463015 The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 25

Wellington

By Mike Clark Welcome all to the first issue of the Maritimes for 2014.

Once again the New Year kicks off with more workplace accidents in the forestry industry, which shows in this particular industry there is a systemic failure in health and safety.

In the past 13 months, eleven workers have been killed on the job. Labour Minister Simon Bridges says he had been “surprised” by the low level of compliance by the operators.

To quote “nearly half of the 164 operators visited since August 2013 were failing to meet their health and safety obligations and so far more than 200 enforcement actions have been taken including the shutting down of 14 operations due to imminent danger of serious injury or death.”

Logging is now New Zealand’s biggest export behind dairy and meat. In the year to November 2013 some $3.8 billion worth of logs and wood products were exported overseas.

CTU National President Helen Kelly says the year has barely started and we have already had two serious accidents and a death in the most dangerous industry in New Zealand.

The CTU called for an enquiry last year and it was rejected.

Helen Kelly has said that the Minister is now on notice that this work is unsafe and each accident is a testament to this and an enquiry is his making a decision.

Whether or not this safety record is acceptable, the forestry industry will now hold a major review funded by the forestry owners, industry contactors, Farm Forestry Associations.

They will liaise with the Government regulator Worksafe NZ. The Review is expected to take six months.

Job losses More bad news on the labour market in New Zealand are the job losses at New Zealand Post, the potential job losses at Pacific Steel and the announcement by Qantas of 5000 job losses in Australia.

KiwiRail On the local scene we have now finally signed off the Kiwirail Collective Employment Agreement (CEA) and letters of the enhanced retirement package should have been received by eligible Arahura crew and others still on the Arahura rates of pay.

The Aratere is due to go into dry-dock in Singapore on Monday 3 March where it will undergo repairs on the broken propeller shaft.

It is not due back until early May.

26 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

MUNZ National Secretary Joe Fleetwood, Wellington Branch Secretary Mike Clark and National President Garry Parsloe at the Wellington Branch Christmas Function, 2013

The work is to be undertaken at Keppel Shipyard, Singapore.

Jim Quinn, former CEO, estimated the outage of the Aratere would cost Kiwirail an estimated $30 million which includes the six-month charter of the Swedish owned Rena Allegra.

Adding to this is the cost of the 2011 project where she underwent major surgery to the tune of $53.8 million.

It has become a very expensive asset to maintain.

After five years at the helm, Jim Quinn left the position recently and is replaced by Peter Reidy whose first public task was to deal with the problem of asbestos in the trouble-plagued Chinese built DL Locomotives.

While MUNZ wish Jim all the best in his future endeavours, Peter still has a lot of unchartered waters to sail.

Offshore As in previous years the Offshore industry has had a big upsurge in seismic and exploratory work in late 2013 and early 2014.

This is slowly coming to an end which will again result in a number of our members being without work as with the Offshore CEA. We are close to getting a formal letter of offer which we will then put into the document and take it to the members for ratification. This should be seen as a very good document in terms of gains we have made but also more importantly we have not lost any of the current conditions.

I would like to personally thank our Rank and File negotiating team of Richard Rankin and Billy Lewis, also our Officials, National Secretary Joe Fleetwood and Assistant Wellington Secretary John Whiting for their efforts both around the table, but more importantly outside the negotiating forum where a consensus of opinion on where we were heading was made.

www.munz.org.nz

I know full well we cannot please everyone but at this particular time I am pleased on the achievement made.

Once again, for all members who work in the industry please update your CVs, medicals and relevant certificates including change of address, phone numbers etc to the Wellington Secretary.

Drug and alcohol tests Over the last few months we have had a number of failed drug and alcohol tests amongst our members.

This does not enhance the reputation of our Union in supplying credible Seafarers and certainly does nothing for the seafarer involved.

Most members are aware of the requirements of the CEA and also of the companies involved in the industry.

If this trend continues our members who are involved will be hard pressed to secure more work in the industry.

I intend to bring this up at the Wellington Executive in the near future and also at the May National Council Meeting.

Also also people who don’t see out their time on vessels are trying to jump the queue because they hear of something else coming and contact companies.

This is not trade unionism and in fact is depriving fellow seafarers work.

If this continues I will follow steps whereby persons engaging in this behaviour will go to the bottom of the roster or be taken off altogether.

Interport 2014: Simeon Tairua and Fred Salalea on way to a days fishing (photo courtesy of Terry Ryan)

Interport 2014: Neville Rowlands of New Plymouth (photo courtesy of Terry Ryan)

Educating for a Social Change is produced by the Wellington Workers’ Education Association.

Hosts Alan Windsor and Russell Pierce are long standing trade union activists.

The WEA supports adult and community education that promotes a just and equitable society in accordance with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Join members of Wellington WEA community broadcasting course as they bring you social comment, community and union news and look at what people are doing to support a more just and equitable society every Sunday at 4pm on Wellington Access Radio.

www.munz.org.nz

The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 27

Tauranga Mount Maunganui

By Selwyn Russell

AGM It was very pleasing to have around 50 members turn up to the branch AGM. The new incoming executive was all elected unopposed: President: Peter Harvey Secretary: Selwyn Russell Vice president: Steve Beets Executive: Fred Hennings Richard Rankin Marie Butler Mark Allen Barney Sowerby There is an opportunity for some others to be added, so put your name up and get involved.

I would also like to sincerely thank the outgoing Executive for their input over the last year and wish them and their whanau well.

New tenants It’s been a very busy time since our last AGM, and we have had our fair share of problems that we have had to face.

We had the other tenants moving on out of the building, but we were very lucky that Christine Rogerson from AIL insurance was in the office at the time looking to get in touch with some members.

On hearing of our dilemma and the offices’ close proximity to the wharf, we had an opportunity to have AIL to be a part of our building. I am very pleased to state that the arrangement is going well at the moment.

I think it is very wise if members take the opportunity to pop in and talk to them, as it can never be understated that we work in one of the most recognised dangerous workplaces.

I know that many casuals do not have any insurance and basically they should, as accidents and danger are always ever present.

Organizing At the 2013 MUNZ National Conference it was decided to increase my hours by five hours per week so as to be able to increase our membership.

Although we are succeeding in doing that, it is still an ongoing process. Our numbers have grown to around 220, as some members including casuals are not always employed continuously.

28 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

While doing this we have been assisting the ITF (International Transport Workers Federation) in checking and scrutinising the conditions and wages of overseas seafarers in the port.

This often ends with a payout in unpaid wages for these workers, as they do not always get the correct rates and sometimes are prevented from leaving a ship so they need assistance in getting back home.

Local roundup Ballance Agrinutrients We have been busy here as we have finally got the Collective agreed on and we are awaiting the final sign off for the increases and backpay to take place.

We have had a rough time here with a couple of our members getting into serious problems and needing assistance with personal grievances.

One has since left and we are going to mediation soon with the other as his termination seems totally unfair.

We are trying to get another on a higher rate as he has been on starter rate for too long.

Wilsons Parking We have just initiated bargaining here but are disappointed that the Council told the newspapers that they were automating the Route K system.

We feel that to find out your future like that is appalling, and will be trying to get our members employment elsewhere within the company at termination.

Comvita It has been hard going for these members as we only have a few left.

The others have either retired, left the company, or left on medical grounds. We will still be bargaining on their behalf but there seems a definite culture against unions here.

C3 Over the year it has been very busy and quite eventful and usually starts with the manager not wanting, for whatever reason, to engage in talks with the members directly as a whole.

It should be noted we were a part of the team that set up C3 in Port Chalmers.

This nearly came to a serious issue with the manager openly sending down a non-union worker.

This was promptly sorted out with the intervention of the National Secretary Joe Fleetwood and this also assisted with the employment of more GWEs around the country.

It is important to note that if the casuals wish to advance in this company it is imperative they learn a skill, as they will not just put casuals up for GWE positions unless they have got a skill.

www.munz.org.nz

Tauranga Mount Maunganui branch members attending their 2014 AGM.

Also it has been noted that we have a rule that casuals do not drive. We have to seriously look at this and train them, as they are missing out on advancement.

Often at these times all this company and manager do is hire a percentage of skills from outside.

It would make greater sense to train the casuals and have them ready for the opportunity, as that is what a true career pathway means. This has to be addressed, as it seems other companies with their in house unions are allowing their casuals to drive and they are being employed permanently once ticketed.

Te Manu Toroa

NZL/CSL

NZM

This has been a very trying time and an ongoing situation.

We settled on a collective agreement last year, after that the company acquired UCL that promptly gave them a chance to rename it to CSL and start negotiations again. Although our conditions have carried forward and we have gained some new members, there are still a few things to sort as this collective involves the Auckland workers represented

by MUNZ Local 13.

The company wishes to lower the starting rates in each category, so we need to be extra careful going forward as to not exclude new members.

We are still in negotiations and are hoping for more progress soon.

www.munz.org.nz

We have slowly gained a few more members here, and although it may seem this is the last place a maritime union would be expected to represent workers, we do.

We are regularly there for many reasons.

Because they get their allocation of contracts from the Ministry of Health they are not too great on looking after their employees and getting a wage increase is very hard. However we have gave notice to management we wish to achieve better results this year.

Most of the people here are casuals and unionised but we are getting a bit disappointed with this outfit as we just do not hear anything from the members.

We have just been informed that some of the nonunion when hired out are driving ships’ gear.

If this turns out to be true we will have to address the situation as this is unacceptable. Plus it would be very useful to get a delegate from this company.

To all our individuals, it is important to keep in touch with this branch as to keep up to date with what is going on. I take great pride being in our Union, as we care about our members and represent them as best we can.

As I have said many times before if I do not get to you, please feel free to ring, text or pop in to the office.

The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 29

Auckland Seafarers Old Timers’ Xmas Party

By Garry Parsloe President, Local 13 On 13 December 2013 we held the Old Timers’ Xmas Party at the Maritime Club in Anzac Avenue, Auckland.

I addressed the Old Timers on behalf of the Auckland Branch Executive.

After giving a brief report on the Local 13 dispute with the Ports of Auckland, I pointed out that the Old Timers hold a special place in the Union as we would not be enjoying the conditions we enjoy today but for their the struggles in the past.

This was further confirmed when I read all the faxes from the ships wishing all the Old Timers all the best on their day.

I welcomed the MUA contingent that was in Auckland to prepare for the “War on the Wharves” boxing tournament.

Local Branch Executive members representing the Auckland Branch Executive were President Garry Parsloe, Vice President Carl Findlay, Vice President Patrick Honan, Secretary Russell Mayn, Maritime Walking Delegate Dave Phillips, and Ron Bell, Hector Thorpe and Byron Cummings from the Executive Committee.

I welcomed the following past executive members: John O’Neill who had not long retired after more than 50 years in the Maritime Unions.

In those 50 years, John had been the Lyttelton Secretary of the New Zealand Seafarers’ Union, Auckland Assistant Secretary of the New Zealand Seafarers’ Union, National Vice President of the New Zealand Seafarers’ Union, a National Councillor of both the Seamen’s Union and Seafarers’ Union and until retirement the Branch Vice President of Local 13 MUNZ. Also Pat Lumber ex National Executive member of both the Cooks’ and Stewards’ Union and the New Zealand Seafarers’ Union.

There was an apology from Joe Fleetwood, National Secretary. However it was great to have Mike Clark the Wellington Secretary in attendance.

It was great to have officials from other unions in attendance especially Ray Bianchi from AWUNZ. Old Timers from other Ports were welcomed to the party with a special reference to Tommy Cavanagh who had travelled all the way from Liverpool.

Other members and ex members from other ports were John Broughton, Jimmy Rosser, Brian Bucksey, and Jimmy Morrison from Tauranga, and Colin Wilson and Willbur Johnson from New Plymouth.

Members of Parliament at the party were Darien Fenton, Jacinda Ardern and Carol Beaumont from the Labour Party, and Denise Roche from the Green Party.

30 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

Labour MP Darien Fenton with MUNZ Local 13 President Garry Parsloe

The first speaker was Mike Lee from the Auckland City Council, then Mike Clark the Wellington Secretary, who spoke on the need for not only Branches to support each other but also how each union must get in behind and support other unions that are in dispute.

Next speaker was Denise Roche from the Green party.

Denise spoke on the Greens’ policies and also the need to remove the National Government at the next elections.

Jacinda Ardern, Labour Auckland Central, then addressed the party with a very moving and humorous presentation.

Carol Beaumont was our next speaker and spoke on the real need to replace the National Government so workers can get back to a level playing field.

Carol was followed by Darien Fenton, Labour’s spokesperson for Transport and Tourism. Darien addressed the struggle that workers face today under a National Government and that we will all have to work hard to remove them in the next elections.

The last speaker was Ray Bianchi who has recently retired as Secretary of the Amalgamated Workers’ Union of New Zealand.

Ray spoke on unity and solidarity within the Trade union Movement. Ray’s colourful speech concluded on a range of events both Political and Union.

The food as usual was excellent, thanks to Donny Hooper and Pat Honan. As always it was an excellent day out for all the Old Timers and on behalf of the Auckland Branch Executive I want to thank all those individuals and ships’ crew for their donations which made the Old Timers’ Party the success that it was. www.munz.org.nz

Ports of Auckland update

By Garry Parsloe President, Local 13

MUNZ Local 13 President Garry Parsloe, John O’Neill and Mario O’Merovic at the Auckland Seafarers Old Timers’ Party

The company and the union last met on 17 December 2013, facilitated by Retired Judge Barrie Travis.

At that meeting, some agreements were made about rostering. POAL were to work further with the union rostering representatives, and then meet further with that group and the Health and Safety experts.

POAL have not pulled together that meeting. We have written asking for the meeting to take place as soon as possible.

In addition, the Union has prepared the Rules of Rostering with the assistance of Professor Rogers, and has proposed those to POAL. The Court proceeding has a Judicial Conference allocated for 11 March 2014 at 10.30am. On that date, the Court will allocate a fixture for the Health & Safety proceedings, Given the POAL delays in progressing the mediation, we should be seeking a fixture at that time, notwithstanding progress with any negotiation.

Whangarei

By Ben Hathaway

MUNZ Local 13 President Garry Parsloe and Jacinda Ardern MP at the Auckland Seafarers Old Timers’ Party

Since the new year, Marsden Point has been very busy with logs, cement, woodchip, veneer and triboard beeing exported, as well as heavy lift ships unloading cargo for the oil refinery expansion.

Hopefully this trend will continue.

Letter My condolences to Bob Crow’s family for such a big loss. Bob was a family man, a true trade union leader and great internationalist. It is a sad loss for the RMT as Bob fought with passion for the British working class and the international class struggle. He was feared by the ruling class and stood up for workers in an anti union climate despite the attacks from Murdoch media and the Tory Government. Bob will be deeply missed by all. Rest in peace Comrade.

MUNZ National Vice President Carl Findlay, MUNZ Local 13 President Garry Parsloe and Carol Beaumont MP at the Auckland Seafarers Old Timers’ Party

www.munz.org.nz

Mick Williams Trade unionist

The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 31

Kakariki dockyard voyage to China

By Hector Thorpe MUNZ Local 13 The four major oil companies Z Energy, BP, Mobil, and Chevron own the oil tanker Kakariki through a joint venture company called Penagree 2.

They also own COLL (Coastal Oil Logistics Ltd) which charters the Kakariki and is responsible for scheduling the cargo of petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, heavy and light fuel oil, and asphalt bitumen which is loaded over the wharf at Marsden Point Oil Refinery near Whangarei.

Silver Fern Shipping is responsible for managing the ship; they are a subsidiary of international ship management company ASP. The MUNZ collective agreement was established nearly eighty years ago and is negotiated directly with Silver Fern Shipping.

However all related parties retain a critical interest in managing the health, safety, commercial and environmental success of the venture.

COLL hold regular SIRE audits, Silver Fern/ASP have comprehensive policy requirements, as does the international ship classification society DNV. Maritime New Zealand also have flag state control requirements, standards and certification, and the vessels have to comply with international conventions of Marpol, STCW, SOLAS and the MLC. 32 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

Shipboard maintenance, retention of our first class environmental record and complying with regulations is achieved during the vessels 24/7 cargo operation.

However, once every five years cargo operations will finally pause for a scheduled service on her 183 metre hull, 18,000kg propeller, Cegielski Sulzer main engine, ballast, bitumen and cargo tanks etc. Â

To the Shipyard

With a ship complement of only eighteen persons plus two bitumen cargo pump supernumerary engineers, the Kakariki departed Marsden Point Oil Refinery in ballast for the eighteen day voyage to COSCO Shipyard in north east China.

After four days’ sailing in a north westerly direction we passed Norfolk Island, eventually sailing through the islands of New Ireland and New Britain between the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

We did not get to enjoy the view as one of our main tasks was washing, cleaning and preparing the now empty ballast tanks for painting.

This demanding job took the entire voyage north to complete.

www.munz.org.nz

Crossing the line On the ninth day we crossed the equator and as every seafarer knows on your first occasion you must first seek homage and right of passage from King Neptune, his subjects and the other fishy creatures of the deep.

An official crossing the line ceremony was held for the five unsuspecting first timers and it was with great delight for all, when they were eventually covered in the muck that had been fermenting in the tropical heat.

The catering department then put on a great outdoor spread and it was a welcome relief for everyone to get a couple of hours off work.

It took another nine days to reach China however. We knew we were close when our isolated trade route suddenly filled with hundreds of fishing vessels, and also the deep-sea blue colour of the ocean suddenly turned muddy river brown.

China

Our destination was the purpose built COSCO Shipyard at the port of Zhuoshan on Liuheng Dao, one of the many islands in the Zhejiang Province. The nearest city Ningbo was 150km away and lies on the south of the populous Yangtze River Delta.

Upon arrival, we waited for the tugs that were pulling Senator Lines old style container vessel off the berth to a spectacular farewell display of fireworks that lit up the evening sky.

We eventually berthed alongside a scaffold covered Turkish bulk carrier then a large Greek bulk carrier berthed alongside us.

We spent eleven days working at that layup berth although we were shuffled about eventually getting the prime dockside position.

www.munz.org.nz

New Zealand’s largest ship Kakariki was soon overshadowed when a very large crude carrier berthed alongside and towered above us.

Because of restricted communication during mooring operations I was hopeful we would enter the dockyard during day light hours. However, we were called at 0100hrs completing the job with all fingers and toes attached by 0600hrs.

Scheduled planned power, air conditioning and water outages meant we spent the next three nights at a hotel.

On our second night the COSCO dockyard team organised a twelve course dinner and as is Chinese custom we were encouraged to scull down their 53% proof rice wine which eventually lead to a trades relations drinking battle China vs NZ. We ended what was a very entertaining night when the whole ship’s complement performed the haka to our enthusiastic and appreciative hosts.

We spent a total of five days working in the dockyard and four more days working while at the outer layup berth before sailing back to New Zealand light ship, as the expected return cargo from South Korea or Taiwan did not eventuate.

This was a relief for some as a five yearly dockyard service does not magically repair a fifteen year old vessel, at best it improves its aged condition.

Although it was a happy trip it did leave many feeling that those back in the corporate offices would have no idea what the Captain and minimum manned crew had to struggle through to address some shipyard quality control issues and ready the old girl for an immediate cargo start and SIRE audit upon arrival Marsden Point Oil Refinery.

The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 33

Training session with Local 13: from left, Emani Epati, Mark (Trainer), Ziggy (Trainer), Sam Ioane (front), Tamati Davie, Steve (Trainer), Lisiata Manuao. Also representing MUNZ will be Greg Duffy and Sine Veamatahau (Local 13), Sam Brunton and Joe Gallagher (Lyttelton) and Justin Dimond (Bluff).

War on the Wharves goes trans Tasman For the first time, a squad of MUNZ members from the north to the south will be facing off against their MUA comrades in the South Pacific’s premiere maritime boxing fixture.

The highly popular event has seen full houses on both previous nights and 2014 is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet.

The New Zealand contenders have been in training and according to sources inside their camp are ready to take on the Australians in their own backyard.

War on the Wharves 3 will be held at the South Sydney Juniors Club on Wednesday 9 April, doors open 6pm and first fight at 6.30pm Tickets are $100 and include entry, shirt and lucky door and raffle prizes.

It’s all for a good cause. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Tickets available from 1 March, contact Carl Findlay at Local 13, email carl.findlay@munz.org.nz or mobile 021760886 There will be no door sales. Tickets available to MUNZ and MUA members only.

34 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014

www.munz.org.nz

Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility.

If any health and safety incidents occur in your workplace, alert your branch officials and fill in the online incident form at www.munz.org.nz www.munz.org.nz

The Maritimes | Autumn 2014 | 35