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.
4 | The Maritimes | Autumn 2014
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.
www.munz.org.nz