Maritime Workers Journal, Spring 2024

MV NOONGAH SHIPWRECK DISCOVERY QUBE WORKERS: IT'S OUR TURN NATIONAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS STRATEGIC FLEET GOES TO TENDER THE MARITIME WORKERS’ JOURNAL • SPRING 2024

CONSTRUCTION UNION UNDER ATTACK MUA members stand up, fight back

CONTENTS 4

National Conference Wrap Up

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MV Noongah discovery

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QUBE: It’s our turn!

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WA Safety regulator fail

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Garden Island P&Ds

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MUNZA Federation FRONT AND INSIDE COVER: Members rallying nationwide against government intervention in CFMEU democracy

EDITOR IN CHIEF Paddy Crumlin DESIGN Louise@Lx9Design.com PRINTER Planet Press

Maritime Workers’ Journal 365-375 Sussex Street Sydney NSW 2000 Contact: (02) 9267 9134 Fax: (02) 9261 3481 Email: journal@mua.org.au Website: http://www.mua.org.au MWJ reserves the right at all times to edit and/ or reduce any articles or letters to be published.

Publication No: 1235 For all story ideas, letters, obituaries, please email journal@mua.org.au

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LOGGING ON

LOGGING ON CFMEU Administration The Federal Government has made a grave and strategically unsound decision which will pave the way for future, conservative governments to wage legislative war on trade unions when the inevitable winds of change blow through Canberra.

By placing the CFMEU Construction Division into Administration by way of rushed legislation, a new back door has been opened to allow politicians – acting on the demands of conservative media – to interfere in the governance and independence of any Australian trade union.

The MUA opposes the administration of the Construction Division not just because it has been done recklessly or because it

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will embolden future Liberal and National Governments to attack us further, but because it has robbed members and officials of due process, the presumption of innocence, and natural justice.

Members of the MUA joined Electrical Trades Union members, Plumbers Union members and Manufacturing Workers Union members at rallies across the country in August and September against the unprecedented attack on our sisters and brothers in the Construction Division.

We will support the High Court challenge being prepared for with both funding and logistical support because the political and media circus which led to these bad laws

being enacted was without merit and without basis.

The dismissal, sacking and denigration of 270 CFMEU onstruction division officials and delegates is an affront to the values of all trade union members.

All divisions of the CFMEU are democratic and representative of our members. Therefore, the summary expulsion of these representatives is an attack on the democracy and direct ran and file empo erment that underpins our federated CFMEU, of which I remain proudly the National President.

I continue to work closely with ach mith in the ational ffice of the Construction Division to ensure services and representation for www.mua.org.au

Construction members is as effective and powerful as possible under the Administration, notwithstanding all of the above concerns I have laid out.

First and foremost, the Administrator must ensure that EBAs which were being rolled out for Construction workers are not wound back or watered down by employers who see this as an opportunity to unpick agreements which had been bargained for in good faith over a long period. The Administration must also swiftly restore the safety and compliance monitoring activities at workplaces for which the Construction Division and its members had earned their welldeserved fame as an uncompromising and omnipresent safety advocate.

READ MORE: Page 16 www.mua.org.au

Australian flagged ships on the horizon The MUA’s long campaign to restore Australian shipping sector, through the Strategic Fleet, is bearing fruit, with a public tender open right no for the first three Australian fla ed ships for the pilot pro ram of the government’s Strategic Fleet implementation process. his is the first tranche of ships to be delivered by the commercial sector with government backing, and signals the commencement of a new era of shipping in Australia, delivered

by Australian fla ed and cre ed vessels.

The MUA has played a leading policy and political leadership role on this topic for many years and the new ships being delivered in the coming months and years by this program are the culmination of the combined and collective inputs of ran and file members officials and officers of our union or in cooperatively with the commercial sector, government agencies and major employers to advance the cause of an Australian sovereign shipping capacity.

The burgeoning demand for skilled seafarers worldwide is a head ind hich the strate ic fleet must respond to, however the additional domestic demand for Australian seafarers will bolster the Union’s long running calls for growth and development of skills and training opportunities at maritime colleges across Australia. With new facilities in Queensland and Newcastle coming online to buttress the training already on offer in Tasmania and Western Australia, the industry is poised to maximise the opportunities that ill flo to ne and young members of our Union as the sector ro s and diversifies READ MORE: Page 10 MUA Quadrennial Conference 2024 The Union’s supreme deliberative and policy setting forum unfolded in Adelaide earlier this year

The Conference built on our significant achievements of recent years while setting a course for future engagement across government and the industry to build our membership and strengthen our industrial leverage in existing workplaces. and brought together over 500 delegates from across the country, representing the full diversity of our membership in our various sectors.

The Conference built on our si nificant achievements of recent years while setting a course for future engagement across government and the industry to build our membership and strengthen our industrial leverage in existing workplaces.

United and stronger was the Conference’s key theme, and this was reflected in our resolutions to build a acific ederation of aritime Unions with Maritime Union New Zealand, and the strengthening of our ties with our Hawaiian sisters and brothers from the ILWU. We continue to build our Union’s representation amongst women members and First Nations workers year on year, and the Conference reaffirmed its commitment to liftin diversity and representation in the MUA’s workplace and delegate structures while also reaching out to these groups to build the number of women and First Nations people working in the maritime sectors.

The full range of Conference resolutions are printed in this edition of Maritime Workers Journal at Page 48 and mark out the course the Union will take over the coming four year period, which has already commenced. •

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MUA QUADRENNIAL CONFERENCE charts course for the next four years

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ver 500 delegates from the MUA’s ran and file ere oined in Adelaide earlier this year by international transport union representatives domestic trade union visitors and observers at the aritime nion’s uadrennial ational onference here the comin four years of industry development or place bar ainin campai ns and political efforts of the nion ere set out by dele ates and officials he A’s uadrennial conference plays an essential role in the democratic processes of the year old or anisation as the hi hest overnance forum of the nion hrou hout that lon history the A has prevailed a ainst bad employers international cartels conservative overnments media tycoons and more recently anti or er technolo ies li e Artificial ntelli ence and automation here have been attempts to dere ister the nion officials and members have been aoled and prosecuted and activist

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members have on occasion been seriously in ured and illed in the defence of their nion but the A has met these challen es on every occasion ith the coura e foresi ht and unity of enerations of maritime or ers and their families and ith support of other or in men and omen in Australia and internationally hrou hout that rich and important history our strate ies policies political campai ns and resolutions have ori inated from ational onferences At the commencement of the onference A ational ecretary addy rumlin said his conference ill a ain determine the strate y and frame or for tac lin the reat challen es facin our nion over the comin four years hile realisin the opportunities that the current environment provides us ur onferences have al ays been a participative democratic and enormously respected process that en a es in at times robust but al ays open and fulsome discussion

about those challen es and opportunities e face rumlin said he overarchin theme of the uadrennial onference as nited tron er’ underlyin the importance of or place solidarity as the nion loo s ahead to the ne t four years of industry development membership ro th and consolidation of its enviable position in maritime or places throu hout Australia embers athered to propose debate and settle the future a enda of the A in the richest traditions of democracy transparency and or in class political leadership developed over years of the nion’s lon and remar able history he onference as addressed by international transport and maritime labour leaders includin illie Adams and ob Ashton from the enis and arold a ett from the A alon ith ordi Ara unde i uens from the nternational oc or ers ouncil tephen otton from the nternational ransport or ers ederation and ie tam from avens www.mua.org.au

“This conference will again determine the strategy and framework for tackling the great challenges facing our Union over the coming four years while realising the opportunities that the current environment provides us.” isitors to the conference conveyed the solidarity and support of international comrades from the transport doc ers and seafarin industries orld ide underpinnin the strate ic advanta e all or in class people have throu h internationalism he A’s officials ac no led ed the important levera e this support provides durin protracted bar ainin processes ith multi national employers includin orld and utchison orts as ell as emer in lobal players based here in Australia such as ube orts he A and the rime inister reaffirmed their shared commitment to the emer in trate ic leet of Australian fla ed and cre ed ships ith READ MORE: more information about this Conference important industry resolutions, printed in full development on Pages 48 a e www.mua.org.au

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RETIREMENT

Fair winds and foLLowing seas retirement for Christy Cain

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fter 51 years of activism and advocacy through the trade union movement, Christy Cain has retired from his leadership roles within the CFMEU. Like all veterans of the MUA, Christy may be retired from the job, but not from the struggle!

Cain, who retired as CFMEU National Secretary in July, has played a si nificant role in the life of the A and the amalgamated CFMMEU and for many decades first as a ran and file member in the offshore oil and gas then later as an emerging workplace and branch leader through the Western Australian branch, with redoubtable turns leading pickets and community assemblies in Fremantle during the 1998 waterfront dispute.

The Western Australian branch, now a formidable campaigning and industrial player within the WA political landscape, grew and strengthened its stance under Cain’s leadership, starting in the mid 2000s when he took over as Branch ecretary n the first ten years of his leadership, membership in the branch quadrupled which came at a time of trade union membership stagnation elsewhere in the economy.

“I don’t think there’s an employer I haven’t had a dispute or a blue with and I say that for good reason - because we’ve had a lot of deaths on the waterfront and as late as last week, we had a 40-year-old die on the job and it’s not very nice going to his widow with three or four children and saying your father is not coming home,” Cain told the ABC in 2014. “I’ve got no intention of changing the way I do business e fi ht hard e bar ain hard and we take our members with

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ABOVE: Honoured by interanational guests, including ILWU Canada’s Rob Ashton, pictured at the MUA National Council dinner in October 2024.

RIGHT: Still fighting. Christy Cain addresses CFMEU members and supporters rallying against government administration in August 2024

us. And that’s something special for me,” Cain declared, setting the tone for his future leadership roles within the national union and the CFMEU. In 2021, after eighteen years at the helm of the WA Branch, Cain left for the East Coast to take up leadership roles ithin the national office where he led industrial and political campaigns which brought the various construction workers on major projects closer together, along with maritime workers for the broadest possible perspectives on the issues facing members.

“I would go to meetings and ask, ‘where are the electrical workers, where are the plumbers’, and we would bring them into the same room

and talk through the issues on the job,” Cain explained. “If you want to lead trade union members you’ve got to get down to the job and talk to them at work, understand what they’re facing, and then respond,” Cain added.

At a farewell dinner hosted by the National Council of the MUA in Sydney, Cain told guests that his life of activism and advocacy stems from his lifelong commitment to solidarity and unity with his workmates as well as a commitment to militancy in pursuit of the strongest possible industrial and political outcomes for members.

Leaders of Australian and international trade unions paid tribute to Cain, with representation from ILWU Hawaii, ILWU Canada and Maritime Union New Zealand all in attendance. The message from them www.mua.org.au

was clear; Christy Cain serves as an inspiration to his many comrades not just at home but abroad, with maritime workers internationally looking to him as an example of principle and integrity in union leadership who was steadfast and consistent in his stance against bad bosses or bad governments.

MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin, in leading proceedings at the October farewell dinner, described Cain as a workplace and political leader driven by his values and focussed on delivering outcomes for the ran and file un illin to compromise for expedience, and an example of how militant, grassroots leadership from the union’s rank and file ill continue to empo er future generations of MUA members. www.mua.org.au

“As a lifelong trade unionist, I stand for peace and I stand for humanity. That is why I wiLL kEEp fighting for the people of Palestine to live in peace and in dignity, which they are being roBBed oFF right now by the ongoing bombardment of Gaza.”

In his own comments on the evening, Cain noted that the political and industrial struggles he had devoted his life to would continue to preoccupy him, even in retirement.

Echoing his comments to the MUA National Conference in Adelaide earlier this year, he urged the MUA to continue its material and political support for the people of Palestine and for peace, justice and hope for

families living under the threat of war and apartheid in Gaza.

“As a lifelong trade unionist, I stand for peace and I stand for humanity. That is why I will keep fi htin for the people of alestine to live in peace and in dignity, which they are being robbed off right now by the ongoing bombardment of Gaza,” Cain told the crowd, to applause. •

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RETIREMENT

Laurie Horgan A tribute to his life membership of the Union

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n January 1964, Laurie joined the dredge Echeneis on the Brisbane River, followed by a stint on the Trochus, and in November that year after receiving a call from the branch he joined the coastal vessel Bulwarra.

Laurie received his union book in February 1965 and joined a number of coastal vessels.

After seven years on the coast, he was tapped on the shoulder to join the Mackay tugs and became delegate shortly after Bill Robinson departed the port. Bill was a respected seafarer and unionist and to pick up from where he left off was no easy task, but Laurie was straight into the delegate’s role with 100% commitment.

The tugs at that time would motor down to Hay Point each time a ship was berthing or deberthing, much the same as applies at Bowen for Abbott Point towage.

It was only a few years later that the Utah dispute arose when the union sought coverage for some of the ships moving cargo out of Hay Point; eight lake vessels in all. Picket lines were set up locally and in Eagle Street, Brisbane to highlight the campaign.

Those pickets carried on for four years from 1977 up until 1981, at the time that picket was the longest continuous protest on record, only surpassed by the Columbus line dispute and picket some years later.

At the time of the Utah dispute the union could not get support from the FEDFA who operated the loaders at ay oint t as a lon and difficult

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Laurie ... faced oFF against threats, maSSive legal and financial penalties, health and personal iSSues, but always had time for anybody who nEEded aSSistance. dispute with Laurie at the centre of it organising the campaign locally.

At around that time then Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser introduced the rade ractices Act specifically to attack the Union and seek to impose massive fines and penalties

TOP: Laurie addressing the MUA’s Quadrennial National Conference Dinner in Adelaide earlier this year.

ABOVE: Laurie and family receiving his life membership in Queensland.

on the Union. The Bjelke Petersen government got in on the act also seeking to utilise the Crimes Act. Roly Livingstone represented the company and had his office perched high above the picket on Eagle Street where the protest would mark each passing year with delegations and ongoing claims for coverage.

The ABC’s Four Corners did a programme on the dispute with journalist Paul Lineham, who interviewed Pat Geraghty about the dispute. That story received an award for the coverage of the dispute, www.mua.org.au

but also was instrumental in informing the public of the injustice of our resources being exploited without any inclusion of Australian seafarers.

The Silver Sorel was another major dispute up there, a foreign ship loading sugar with no ITF Agreement to protect minimum standards of exploited foreign seafarers. Les Symes was the Australian ITF representative and Laurie the local ITF delegate, a role that took much of Laurie’s time when he was on leave and many times before or after his rostered shifts when rostered on.

It was a Japanese company with Filipino seafarers that Laurie was seeking to get a proper agreement for. The dispute escalated with $7 million in damages being sought, writs were issued against the union, Jim Steele, Pat Geraghty, Laurie and the ITF, not bad company to be in when the lawyers come knocking. The dispute had gone on for twenty two days and was listed for the Federal Court when at the last minute agreement was reached to have ITF coverage.

Besides his full-time job on the tugs, Laurie was heavily involved with the ITF as is evident through his whole time in North Queensland. Not only the ITF but also the Mackay Trades and Labour Council (TLC) including three years as Vice President, two years as President, and 18 years as Secretary Treasurer.

Kevin Paskins was co-delegate for 31 years with Laurie and together they were a formidable team through the many negotiations, disputes, meetings and campaigns. Kevin was resolute in supporting and ensuring Laurie had back up when negotiations got tough through the many campaigns and disputes.

Regarding the ITF and support for foreign seafarers who were so often exploited by foreign shipowners, together with Dean Summers, Laurie was involved with the lobbying for a $400,000 grant from ITF London to establish a seafarer’s centre in www.mua.org.au

Mackay. It was achieved under the Stella Maris banner, and this was and remains a heavily utilised centre for seafarers in the region.

All in all Laurie was the ITF delegate up there between 1973 and 2011, a total of 44 years in Mackay of which he spent 41 as port delegate and only really pulled back a bit when he had to have both knees done as a result of all the years working on the back deck of tugs at Hay Point where the berths are seaward facing and nothing unusual to be working in three to four metre swells.

Laurie through the 44 years he spent in Mackay faced off against threats massive le al and financial penalties, health and personal issues, but always had time for anybody who needed assistance.

He handled it all, and part of why he was able to do it so effectively for so long was the respect he commanded from those who worked with him and with whom he cooperated as a union activist.

You just don’t get to be around for so long unless you have the confidence respect and support of your colleagues and work mates.

Laurie not only had it from his fellow Mackay towage workers but from the Queensland Branch, the ational ffice and ational Council. His good mates Shane Brunker from the miners and Bill Welsh from the AMWU recall the close working relationships that were so important to workers in the Mackay and region more generally.

44 years in the port, 57 years a member, multiple roles, activist, internationalist confidante but probably most important, family man with daughter Larissa and his grandkids.

Congratulations mate, its been a full and meaningful career with some good times along the way and you should be very proud of your achievements. We certainly are. • This is an abridged version of a speech given by Mick Carr at the Life Membership ceremony for Laurie Horgan.

METL trainEEs join AuSSie ships New seafarers continue to head up the gangway of ships around the country, with METL’s 2024 intake responding to the seafarer skills crisis (Page 42) and delivering much needed long term capacity building throughout the industry, while seizing the opportunity to pursue a fulfillin and re ardin career at sea.

METL, which is funded by employers through levies delivered by Enterprise Agreement clauses negotiated for by Union members, is delivering Trainee Integrated Rating programs aboard ships like MV Goliath, RSV Nuyina, RTM Weipa and a number of others.

The traineeship lasts 18 months, and provides 9 months of sea service, as well as a 10 – 12 week college component, delivered either at The Australian Maritime College in Launceston, Tasmania, or South Metropolitan TAFE in Fremantle, WA. New MUA seafarer Matt Murray, who comes from a family of Novocastrian seafarers including dad Frank (MUA life member), brother Luke and great uncle George Jenkins (tragically lost in the sinking of the MV Noongah in 1969), joined the Goliath earlier this year through the METL Traineeship and has enjoyed the camaraderie and teamwork that is part and parcel of life at sea.

“The skills and experiences you develop in a workplace like this, as well as the friendships you form with your shipmates, make this one of the most rewarding career opportunities for young workers, and with the Australian strate ic fleet on the hori on the opportunities for Aussie seafarers to get consistent work are only going to strengthen,” Murray told MWJ. •

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AUSTRALIAN SHIPPING

Strategic fleet goes to tender

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First new Australian ships on the horizon

n September, the MUA welcomed a major announcement by the Federal Government towards the Australian Strategic Fleet program that has been championed by the Union over many years.

A first tranche of three ships will be put to a public tender between September and November of this year as a pilot programme that will run for five years. It is the crucial first step towards establishing the Strategic Fleet of at least 12 Australian flagged and crewed vessels that the Government committed to ahead of the last federal election.

Australian flagged and crewed vessels are an essential economic and strategic resource that will bolster our national security, disaster resilience and strengthen our place at the end of long global supply chains.

As an island nation whose major economic activities are reliant on

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shipping, it defies logic that we vest so much of our economic and social security in the availability of overseas owned, controlled and crewed ships.

The Maritime Union has, throughout its more than 150 years of history, been a vocal advocate for the vital economic and social significance of a strong Australian shipping sector. Our country’s current dependence upon foreignflagged shipping and exploited seafarers is a glaring risk factor to our security and prosperity that the Strategic Fleet will begin to correct.

The Government has been working closely with the maritime sector, including unions, shipping companies and major industrial users of shipping to design and implement the policy framework through the Strategic Fleet Taskforce which met and deliberated over the course of 12 months in 2022 and 2023.

The Strategic Fleet Taskforce included: • Chair, John Mullen (former Chairman of Toll Logistics and Telstra, now Chair of Qantas) • Paddy Crumlin, Maritime Union of Australia National Secretary • Angela Gilham, Maritime Industry Australia Limited CEO • Dr Sarah Ryan, Non-Executive Director of Aurizon, OZ Minerals, Viva Energy, Woodside Energy • Major General Jason Walk, Commander, Joint Logistics, Department of Defence As well as the implementation of the Strategic Fleet now announced, the Taskforce also recommended legislative and regulatory improvements that are also being enacted.

“This methodical approach will deliver new ships to our coast flagged and crewed in Australia, marking www.mua.org.au

the first time in generations that a Federal Government has acted so decisively to boost the number of Australian vessels operating in the national interest,” said Paddy Crumlin, the MUA National Secretary.

“The MUA has committed itself to the restoration of this crucial sovereign capacity and has been working steadily towards today’s announcement alongside the Federal Government,” Mr Crumlin added.

The Strategic Fleet vessels will be owned and managed by the private sector but are to be made available to the nation in times of need, including during conflict or disaster. This key measure is in direct response to the vulnerabilities highlighted by disasters and international pressures that have affected Australian supply chains in recent years.

“The bushfires, flooding and pandemic of the last five years shows how fragile our domestic and international supply chains are. By boosting our sovereign shipping capacity we can protect our economy and our communities against major shortages caused by disaster, geopolitical tension or global pandemic,” Mr Crumlin said.

“Supermarket shelves in WA should not be bare when we have plentiful supplies of fresh food on the east coast, but the fires and floods which cut off the east-west road and rail links showed us how vulnerable to disaster our sisters and brothers in the west truly are. Likewise, the energy and resources pressures that the global economy faces due to the cumulative impacts of COVID, the Red Sea blockade and a long-running war in Eastern Europe highlights the current precariousness of our access to liquid fuels and our capacity to get our exports to global markets,” Mr Crumlin added.

“As a consequence of successive poor policy making by the now LNP Opposition, Australia’s fuel security is the worst it has ever been, with diminished local refining and justin-time importation of liquid fuels meaning we operate on a week-toweek basis for fuel and oil reserves that are vital to our economic and social lives,” Mr Crumlin explained.

The Strategic Fleet tender also stipulates that each vessel will provide three or more training berths to support the next generation of www.mua.org.au

Australian flagged and crewed vessels are an essential economic and strategic resource that will bolster our national security, disaster resilience and strengthen our place at the end of long global supply chains. skilled Australian seafarers and address the skills and training shortage in the maritime industry that the Union has already identified and been working to address alongside major industry participants like INPEX and MIAL. “The MUA has worked closely with both the government, commercial participants in the maritime industry and

representatives from the defence forces to help design the Strategic Fleet so that it is sustainable and successful in the long term while delivering tangible economic and strategic benefits for the nation. We look forward to seeing Australian seafarers walk up the gangway of the first tranche of newly Australian-flagged ships in the very near future,” Mr Crumlin said. •

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THE NOONGAH TRAGEDY

MV NOONGAH

discovered 55 years after sinking in heavy seas off Smoky Cape MUA crews aboard RV Investigator make another historic and emotional discovery of an Australian shipwreck lost for decades off the coast of the Mid North Coast in NSW

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he MV Noongah was travelling between Newcastle and Townsville carrying steel when it encountered a storm and sank in heavy seas on 25 August 1969. With the assistance of an MUA crew aboard the RV Investigator, the rec ’s final restin place has finally been discovered by the CSIRO. o discovered lyin at a depth of 170 metres, the Noongah was a 71-metre coastal freighter lost at sea in 1969 in one of the nation’s worst post ar maritime disasters he as sailing from Newcastle to Townsville carrying a cargo of steel when a storm and heavy seas led to her sinking on 25 August 1969.

Tragically, 21 of the 26 crew on board lost their lives in the incident. nly one body as reported to be recovered and for almost fifty five years the wreck of MV Noongah had never been found.

The loss of MV Noongah led to one

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of the largest searches for survivors in Australian maritime history, involving navy and merchant vessels, aircraft, helicopters and shore based searches of beaches along the coast.

The discovery of the Noongah is the second major discovery of an Australian ship rec lost in recent living memory to be uncovered by the crew of the RV Investigator, coming after the discovery and mappin of the Blythe Star in April The location of the Noongah wreck has no been confirmed throu h a collaborative pro ect bet een Heritage NSW and The Sydney Project.

RV Investigator is part of the Marine National Facility, national research infrastructure operated by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and funded by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). he ship’s cre are proud A

members ho perform strate ically important or operatin the Investigator’s precision e uipment machinery and systems during scientific voya es throu hout the open ocean around Australia’s coastline.

While the Noongah discovery was a pi ybac pro ect underta en alon side subsea eomorpholo y and current dynamics investigations, the or of findin and mappin the Noongah utilised many of the same e uipment and s ills honed durin the mappin and documentation of the Blythe Star wreck last year.

The June 2024 investigation sho ed the rec is sittin upri ht on the seafloor and is lar ely intact off mo y ape The bathymetry data shows the rec is sittin at a depth of metres and is appro imately 71 metres long, with the vessel dimensions profile and confi uration matching MV Noongah. www.mua.org.au

The discovery was welcomed

by MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin, who described it as an important closin chapter in one of Australia’s most tragic maritime stories.

“It was a terrible night and a dreadful small ship rumlin said “The loss of the Noongah is possibly the orst peacetime maritime tra edy in Australian coastal aters he said. he apanese torpedoed the Centaur hospital ship off Coolangatta with great loss of life in orld ar he recalled ut this as peace time Amon the Noongah crew was a 16-year-old dec boy on his first trip to sea hese people ere ust oin about their daily obs The Union, through the unity of its ran and file members across the country leapt in to assist families of the crew who perished “At the time, our union, the Seamen’s Union of Australia and the Australian aritime fficers’ nion made donations. Donations came from all over Australia.

Seafarers levied themselves to assist the widows and we assisted their children in their education; in nurturing their lives, so they were able to move on and live their lives with dignity and some comfort despite the reat loss they’d suffered through this avoidable disaster r rumlin said “The loss of the Noongah underscores the importance of Australian shippin around our coastline and the role it plays socially economically and strategically. The ederal Government’s shippin policy is a timely response to the essential and endurin importance of Australian shippin rumlin said MUA Newcastle Branch Secretary Glen Williams commended the CSIRO and the MUA crew aboard the Investigator for the discovery and the careful and diligent way in hich the ne s as first shared with Noongah crew members’

families and loved ones.

“The families are grateful for the no led e of the ship’s final restin place t means a lot to them to know their loved ones have not been forgotten and knowing where the ship lies has iven them all reat comfort r illiams said hile e no lon er e port steel from the Port of Newcastle, our re ion continues to ship out massive volumes of vital resources to the rest of Australia and the world, so the Noongah story is not an abstract one for Novocastrians and the many seafaring families who still call e castle home r illiams said he ranch has played a si nificant role in facilitatin the notification of families and loved ones of seafarers ho perished and those crewmembers who survived but have since passed a ay

Recollections of a tragedy

Able Seafarer Bill Cockley was one of five survivors hen the MV Noongah went down. Alongside rd n ineer ussell enderson and crew mate John (Jay) Lingard, Bill told the Seamen’s Journal in 1969 of their struggle to survive, and later reflected on his e periences ith the Maritime Workers Journal on the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, in 2019.

The bulky was listing badly when the call went out at 4:47am to abandon ship At am the ship’s captain had radioed for help after losin control in the heavy s ell and ph ale force winds. At 4.47am he signalled again. he cre ere abandonin ship With 26 Australian seafarers on board, the crew had just 14 minutes to escape before the oon ah and its load of steel went down. had hardly completed tyin my life ac et hen the ship gave a shudder and then, almost instantaneously disappeared ill said ent do n ith the ship for what distance I do not know; it seemed an eternity re mate ay in ard as yellin he’s one He started to run. ut the ship ent so uic ly ’d only ot a couple of yards then the

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THE NOONGAH TRAGEDY

sea hit me he recalled rd en ineer ussell enderson as partially thro n from the ladder to the boat deck. he ship ave one roll to starboard, hesitated and then went do n by the head he said as swirled around below, then broke the surface. I thought ‘You beauty’. Then I ent do n a ain Surfacing, Bill heard his shipmate reaser en c ntyre calling to swim over to his life raft. It turned out to be the cover.

Moments later Jay surfaced. He drifted ith a plan to ill and en and they rabbed on The four men were tossed in the dark, heavy seas, when they heard someone callin for help en ho asn’t earin a life jacket) swam off and brought back the chief cook, Thomas ord said ill “A little later, we heard another man callin out and once a ain en ent out to assist. This time he did not return earby rd en ineer ussell Henderson had also made it to the surface.

“We were in darkness, but could see lights from the men’s life jackets and hear them calling and cooeeing to each other he said s am to ard the nearest roup and oined ay in ard ill oc ley and om ord Later, the chief cook, Tom, drifted off and a ay from the plan ussell swam out and brought him back.

Not long after he drifted off again, taking with him the lifeboat cover. e didn’t see him a ain said ill When dawn broke, the men found themselves alone, well out to sea. u e aves flun menacin debris at them. hey ot hold of a lid and placed it under the plan for buoyancy By 10am that morning, the three men si hted a search plane far off o one was looking that far from shore.

Hours went by. They were thirsty. A rain s uall came over o e’re oin to et et ay uipped ill lau hed “The rain was like hailstones hitting us in the face said ay ept loo in

14

at Russell and Bill, and among the thou hts that ept oin throu h my mind ere ho luc y a man can be to have two mates with him. Two men ith more uts than he can e plain men he will call ‘friend’ for the rest of his life By late afternoon they sighted a bulk carrier. They waved and called out ut it passed ithout anyone seeing them.

Finally, before dusk, after more than 12 hours stranded at sea, they sighted the Adelaide Steam bulk carrier Meringa.

“We started yelling and waving our arms said ill A couple of the cre aved bac Crew threw life buoys on lines to the three survivors and they were pulled onto the ship’s side here they climbed up the an ay net On board, the crew gave them plenty of brandy hot soup and blankets. Two other Noongah crew in life rafts had already been rescued by the search team. en c ntyre as later iven a medal posthumously for ivin his life to save others. enty one men perished nly one body was ever recovered. ore than fifty years later ill Cockley, one of only two survivors known to still be alive, lives down the

South Coast of NSW, where he is a long-term volunteer with the local Marine Rescue station.

Looking back, he sees the sinking all in slow motion. still thin about it he said A lot. The night before things started to look bad. I went to have a shower around or pm and the ater as not runnin a ay By the time Bill started the midni ht atch the ship as listin ne it as very bad he said “I talked to the mate on watch around am his ship is oin ’ said he nd mate shone a li ht he dec as a ash he ship as taking water.

The crew worked on the bilge pumps and hen the en ine ent dead, struggled to get it started. The captain as alerted and radioed for help e ot ill to o do n and et all the day crew on deck. “Getting the fello s out of their bun s proved a bit difficult ill recalls “They could not believe anything as seriously ron until they ot up then they really noticed the list he men stru led to et the lifeboats out but, by this time, the ship as almost on its side and they were stuck.

Bill was not meant to be on the Noongah that night. He was rostered on the Iron Kimberley. But he had asked for a transfer rather than pull a bod y compo claim to et home in time for his eddin As told to the Maritime Workers’ Journal in 2019 and the Seamen’s Journal in 1969.

www.mua.org.au

www.mua.org.au

15

CFMEU

CFMEU under attack Maritime workers stand up, fight back

I

n August, the Government introduced new laws that undermine the democratic rights of our union members to control their own future. This decision unfortunately reflects an e treme reaction to the anti rhetoric amplified by some conservative media outlets, and an entrenched political trade union opposition characterised by vilifying ordinary Australian working men and women and the trade union they choose to belong to.

This Government decision is an e tension of the political ob ectives of its predecessor and their building and construction watchdog, the ABCC, hich failed to e plore the real issues of criminality and corruption that affect all of us in the industry through the use of untested allegations as a basis for an attack on our Union’s right to effectively preserve workers’ rights to equal access under law.

The Construction and General Division of the CFMEU and the A remain united in e posin this politically motivated, backdoor attack, to undermine and threaten the rights of construction workers. In an industry here abuse and the e ploitation of power is already weaponised by employers against workers, and where health and safety run a distant second to their profits and schedules this legislation furthers the danger faced by construction workers daily and leaves them e posed to the criminality and corruption the legislation ironically purports to stamp out.

Our strength as genuine trade unionists is in our unity. Both Construction and General and the MUA will do everything within our collective power to secure an outcome in the best interests of CFMEU members.

A forced administration through the terms of the legislation, devoid of any real consultation with actual construction workers and the forced isolation from their elected representatives, does nothing to improve the lives and safety of CFMEU members. In fact, it further entrenches the systemic imbalance of power between construction bosses and

16

We have made it clear that corruption and criminality have absolutely no place in unions, the construction sector, or in Australian society more broadly. construction workers.

It is worth remembering that this legislation was lobbed into the Parliament as discussions between the CFMEU and the Fair Work Commission about its proposal for administration were taking place in a properly consultative and transparent process.

The CFMEU and MUA have a renowned, shared history over more than 152 years of representing Australian workers in some of the toughest and most dangerous workplaces, supporting and progressing their social and working lives whilst making the most important contribution to the health and safety of all workers across the sector, e tendin that pro ress to other workers throughout Australia and then internationally.

All Australian workers have benefited from our nion’s steadfast and resolute commitment to workers’ safety economic ustice and ob security. We have been and remain the rising tide which lifts the conditions and safety standards throughout the economy as the basis for workplace productivity and a e ustice

For that, governments and many in big business have never stopped trying to weaken us to their partisan advantage.

Make no mistake: this legislation, the basis for it and the method of its introduction in its current form is a blunt and open attack on workers, their physical, material and social wellbeing, and their right to collectively represent and defend themselves, which is a basic human right.

We have made it clear that corruption and criminality have absolutely no place in unions, the construction sector, or in Australian society more broadly. Any allegations relating to criminality and corruption are serious. Where this behaviour is alleged, it should be investigated by the relevant authorities.

For our part, we immediately initiated an independent and wideranging investigative process, to support any investigation by authorities focused on e posin any criminal behaviour and many other actions demonstrating our resolve.

However, we are used to being targeted by anti-union business www.mua.org.au

LEFT: Paddy Crumlin ABOVE: MUA members march on Parliament House in Sydney on August 27 against the government’s interference in the CFMEU RIGHT: Zach Smith

interests and the governments that support them. What drives and motivates those attacks is that the CFMEU is a strong and effective trade union and our membership do not bend to weaponised power. e have seen countless e amples of corporate criminality in recent years, including in the construction industry, but we don’t see the same appetite for this type of unilateral action in other cases of criminal misconduct.

Right now, we have an ASIC investigation into ANZ potentially defrauding Australian bank customers on an unprecedented scale – but the Government has not legislated to place the ANZ into administration, instead allo in the authorities do their ob and providing procedural fairness and natural ustice hese principles have been denied to construction workers and their union In the waterfront dispute of 1998, when Patricks sacked its entire workforce after conspiring with the Coalition Government to replace its workforce with secretly recruited and trained non-union labour trained in Dubai, the international community recognised this as one of the worst instances of anti-union conspiracy that reached into the highest political and corporate leadership. The Federal www.mua.org.au

Court found that there was an arguable case of that conspiracy which was reinforced by the ud ement of the High Court.

The case of conspiracy was later revealed in the batch of Cabinet papers from 1996/97, which showed that the Howard Government was planning the 1998 Patrick Waterfront Dispute well in advance and mislead the High Court. o provide conte t to the current legislative offensive, no one – not Patricks, the Government or any others involved in that conspiracy – have been prosecuted, nor has legislation been enacted to prevent employers, and others, from conspiring to illegally sack workers.

The Administration Bill is an e traordinary and unprecedented piece of legislation that is tantamount to an industrial law version of a bill of attainder he specific ob ect and purpose of the ill is to sub ect the G Division to a bespoke regime where the rules of procedural fairness and

natural ustice do not apply and here action can be taken that could do substantial in ustice to the union This Bill is the thin edge of the wedge: what is stopping Governments from applying similar legislation to other industries outside construction?

It does not bode well for the rest of the trade union movement. The Bill is rushed, poorly drafted, and the Government is working with the Coalition to make it even more draconian.

We acknowledge the strong statements of solidarity and support that have been made by other trade unions in defence of natural ustice and procedural fairness in the current rapidly unfolding developments. There is a growing recognition nationally and internationally that if our Union can be attacked in this way, then so can every other union and union member.

Be assured that our number one priority is to protect the safety, rights and wages of construction workers in a proper structured and udicially fair framework of identifying and dealing with criminality in the construction industry, including by commercial and corporate interests. • Zach Smith National Secretary, CFMEU National Secretary, CFMEU (Construction and General Division) Paddy Crumlin National President CFMEU National Secretary MUA

17

CFMEU

Mua To Join And Fund High Court Challenge To Cfmeu Construction Administration Laws

T

he Maritime Union of Australia will oin other trade unions in fundin a High Court challenge against the ederal Government’s un ustified chaotic and reckless decision to place the CFMEU’s Construction Division into administration.

The MUA has made it clear that corruption and criminality have absolutely no place in unions, the construction sector, or in Australian society more broadly. Any allegations relating to criminality and corruption are serious. Where this behaviour is alleged, it should be investigated by the relevant authorities.

At a meeting of the MUA’s National ecutive in eptember the A’s leadership reconfirmed its opposition to both the method of the government’s intervention and its implementation so far, noting that the legislation rushed through both houses of Parliament

18

ABOVE: Rita Mallia, sacked President of the CFMEU NSW Construction Division, addresses the rally outside NSW Parliament BELOW AND RIGHT: MUA Victorian branch members and officials rally in Melbourne against CFMEU Administration laws.

had effectively robbed construction workers of an effective union while also setting aside key democratic principles essential to all Australian citizens, organisations, community groups, religious organisations and charities that the presumption of innocence, natural ustice and due process should always prevail under law. he A oins ith other unions and concerned groups and citizens in its opposition to the legislation. The Union’s support for the legal campaign is not ust to restore the ri hts and protections of Construction Division members but to hold the line against future attacks using similar legislation www.mua.org.au

on other Australian workers.

The legislative precedent established by the Federal Government removes trade union rights on the basis of untested media allegations, leading to a near certainty that similar future legislation will be used by governments of either stripe against other militant blue-collar unions, including the MUA. When a criminal conspiracy between Patrick Stevedores and the then Howard Government was revealed in the release of Cabinet papers, no criminal investigation or proceedings were ever launched. This double standard goes to the heart of the www.mua.org.au

This precedent removes trade union rights on the basis of untested media allegations, leading to a near certainty that the legislation will be used against other unions, including the MUA A’s determination to oin and fund a High Court challenge against these laws. Maritime workers have been on the receiving end of these calculated political and media smears in the past.

“We will support our fellow members in the Construction Division as they seek to clear their names and fi ht for the principles of natural ustice presumption of innocence the rules of evidence and procedural fairness,” MUA National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin said.

“We are supporting our federated Union’s members in the construction industry and backing them in as they fi ht for the ri ht of their ivision to e ist he have been and remain central to the protection of trade union and labour rights both in the construction industry, the maritime sector and more broadly for all Australian and international working women and men that benefit from the stren th of the CFMEU,” Crumlin added. •

19

STEVEDORING

Dubai Ports in a storm – victory for wharfies

I

n early February, after months of disputation and industrial action, members of the MUA employed at Dubai Ports’s Australian container terminals reached an in-principle agreement at the conclusion of three days of facilitated negotiations in Sydney before the Fair Work Commission.

The agreement, which replaces one that expired in September 2023, is for a four-year term and delivers fair pay, safety and fatigue management measures, and provides job security and a fair work-life balance for Australian wharfies.

All protected industrial action was withdrawn and wharfies at Dubai Ports returned to work with the same enthusiasm, hard work and commitment that they have brought to their jobs over many years.

“The last two weeks of the DP World dispute in January and February 2024 showed how quickly a fair and sustainable deal can be resolved once both the workforce and the employer are fully engaged in the negotiation process. The MUA sought to commence the process in March 2023 year, well before the last agreement expired, so that a new agreement could be settled early and without disputation but the managers at DP World were more interested

20

in dragging the process out and gaming the IR system against their workforce,” said the Union’s Assistant National Secretary, Adrian Evans.

A few short weeks earlier, DP World bosses had dealt a preChristmas blow to the prospect of industrial agreement when management and HR representatives walked away from negotiations with the Union, citing their company’s white-collar shutdown throughout Summer.

This contrasted starkly with the expectation that wharfies work 24/7 across the Christmas and New Year period. Rather than continue negotiating, company representatives sought to shelve all further meetings until January 29th 2024.

“You could see that, right up until the last minute, Dubai Ports’ management team were dragging their feet and doing everything they could to avoid making progress,” explained Evans.

“While the Union had suspended our protected industrial action while there was progress in negotiations and we had hoped to reach an in-principle agreement in early December, we reached a point where no further movement was being achieved and the company’s HR reps wanted to walk off the job for seven

weeks’ holiday,” Evans said.

“Wharfies perform hard, physical work on a 24 hour, seven day working week, in all conditions and all seasons. They are amongst the hardest working, most productive and most flexible workforces in the Australian economic landscape” Mr Evans said. “The least we could expect is their bosses would participate in bargaining with the same commitment,” he said.

The commercial self-harm that was inflicted by the company occurred against a backdrop of delays and mismanagement caused by a major IT security breach in November and a failed effort by senior managers to politicise the bargaining process.

The company sought the assistance of Coalition political figures, including Peter Dutton, who jumped at the opportunity to align himself with the Dubai Royal Family, who are the ultimate owners of DP World, against Australian workers.

“This was a remarkable industrial campaign in which the company went all-in on a losing hand and the whole country watched them go bust,” Mr Evans said. •

www.mua.org.au

“...the company went all-in on a losing hand and the whole country watched them go bust” ADRIAN EVANS, MUA ASSISTANT NATIONAL SECRETARY

NEW AGREEMENT DELIVERS: 25.6% pay rise over four years

$2000

sign on bonus

Improved safety measures

and fatigue management

Family friendly rosters

Bolstered

job security

www.mua.org.au

21

BULK & GENERAL

Qube workers locked in battle with bosses:

B

“It’s our turn!”

ul and eneral harfies across the massive inflation causin profits but no country have been steadily turnin up the e’re sayin t’s ur urn e are fi htin pressure on bosses at one of Australia’s for a better deal a ainst the voracious lar est and most po erful stevedorin corporate reed of this iant multi national companies the publicly listed ube orts e ant a bi er share of the hu e profits ube hich o ns atric erminals’ of ube ith a lon overdue cost of livin container operations runs bul and eneral pay rise and improvements in conditions of stevedorin operations throu hout Australia or said arren mith eputy ational e ealand and outh ast Asia i e all ecretary of the A stevedorin and shippin companies ube’s ube orts operates in more than profits have soared in recent years startin ports nationally and have separate A ith the supply chain pressure caused by the a reements that cover harfies pandemic in hey only a reed to commence bar ainin Warren Smith, Deputy National ompany profits have soared by over Secretary of the MUA in April this year he A has sou ht the same period as or ers’ a es have been discussions since ctober but ube diminished by throu h rampant company led profit ould ust not meet ube have sou ht at every turn to driven inflation divide the or force and manipulate the bar ainin process or ers have paid the ay for hu e mana ement by amin the system and delayin ne otiations to push pay increases throu h their hard or hich has reaped or ers to an arbitrated intractable bar ainin outcome

22

www.mua.org.au

ube have pic ed this fi ht and harfies across the country are up for it and ill not bac do n Allocation abuse leadin to a fati ue and safety ni htmare ill be defeated throu h on oin and persistent industrial action until e et hat e deserve said mith At every opportunity the ompany has turned to the courts even suin of their o n or ers and ictorian ranch ecretary obbie umsden and eputy ational secretary arren mith for alle ed coercion and unprotected action ur action in elbourne as clearly le al and protected and the desperation of ube to sue of its o n or ers is astoundin and dis raceful hese are the or ers that produce this company’s massive accumulated ealth and it puts ube’s anti or er vie s on full public display e ill defend this anti union belli erence to the very end and continue to fi ht

A picture of corporate greed

Qube’s workplace ripoffs, by the numbers

“We want to negotiate a deal that recognises the value of the contribution made by the people who deliver the company its massive profits, and this should come as no surprise to Qube’s bosses”

for hat e deserve said mith here are no five orts ta in industrial action for a better a reement here ill be more ports oin to action soon rotected action ballots have been over helmin ly endorsed ith elbourne ort embla and ar in deliverin yes votes and risbane and a yes vote in Adelaide his demonstrates the determination and unity of or ers that should ive bosses pause for thou ht ube have consistently challen ed ballot applications usin specious le al ar uments that run contrary to all established le al and le islative principles he ompany even too a s dispute for bar ainin assistance to the full bench of the commission as part of their le al delayin tactics as ell as challen in the or ers industrial action in the ederal ourt o far the le al battle sits at in favour of the A hen such hopeless and doomed le al ar uments are bein presented by top end of to n la yers at this early sta e of the campai n you can see they are illin to burn throu h stac s of shareholders’ cash in this manic crusade a ainst their o n or force heir le al action so far could have funded a ood portion of our pay rises such is the nature of corporate reed and lac of decency and principles e pressed in ube’s approach to their or force mith said he A is ell prepared for these le al contortions and is confident of its position

Qube’s Rorts have got to stop

he nion is also pursuin restitution for or ers hose superannuation has been raided by manipulative and tric y ube bean counters

www.mua.org.au

23

BULK & GENERAL

“The Port Kembla employees reject the offer of a rollover of the current agreement with 4% to 5% pay increases.

We want improved conditions as well as pay increases. We have had enough of the irregularity of the rostering and erosion of our conditions.”

n or ers at ube personally paid to increase their superannuation in lieu of a pay rise hen the national superannuation uarantee increased for all Australians ube ept the money that or ers paid themselves and refused to pass on the ne increase effectively absorbin that into their o n bottom line his is nothin but a e theft by ube said mith t’s time for ube to stop rippin off or ers and not honourin a reements At the time of ritin ube is bein prosecuted by the nion in over separate cases of a reement breaches his is a company that no or er can trust and that re uires constant vi ilance of payments and ri hts under a reements A national industrial campai n is the only ay to et them to listen and chan e their approach in each port ube have chan ed allocations to manipulate the historic salary ma eup and are no doin nothin more than robbin or ers blind ith their manipulated and cruel allocations and lon shifts

Fair rosters and flexibility

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or ers at ube are some of the most fle ible or ers in the community hey or bet een four to t elve hours only bein notified at pm the day before in an allocations system that is family destroyin his is on top of up to different start times and consistent ni ht and ee end or here or ers are unnecessarily s un from day to evenin to ni ht for no apparent reason other than mana ement la iness and spite or ers are fi htin hard to et an earlier notification of allocation hese overly fle ible conditions ma e it e tremely hard for or ers to mana e family obli ations or sustain a social life hey must be chan ed and that sits at the heart of this massive stru le ith ube embers also see a minimum hour brea bet een shifts and hours off after ma imum consecutive shifts t is commonplace for members to finish at midni ht only to have to start a ain at am on hat is effectively the same day hich presents a clear and outra eous safety and fati ue mana ement problem that mana ers have refused to ac no led e A motion passed by ort embla members in re ectin a rollover offer by the company set it out clearly “The Port Kembla employees reject the offer of a rollover of the current agreement with 4% to 5% pay increases. We want improved conditions as well as pay increases . We have had enough of the irregularity of the rostering and erosion of our conditions.” he or ers have had enou h and are clearly sayin throu h on oin industrial action t’s ur urn www.mua.org.au

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For more information Visit unitybank.com.au or call 1300 36 2000 *Credit eligibility criteria, terms and conditions, fees and charges apply. 1 For loans contracted after 13.09.2021. 2. Subject to bank approval and only during ‘protected industrial action’ under Fair Work Act, 2009 (Cth) Interest accrues and is capitalised during repayment deferral period. 3. Up to $10,000 personal loan for recognised industrial action or community calamity. Available at the discretion of the bank and subject to approval. 4. Part of the Government’s Home Guarantee Scheme where Government guarantees up to 15% of the value of the property for First Home Guarantee and up to 18% of the value of the property for Family Home Guarantee. Unity Bank is authorised to offer the Scheme in conjunction with its First Home Buyer Advantage Plus loan. The Guarantees are not cash payments or deposits for your home loan. 5. Scheme eligibility criteria, and property price caps apply. 6. Challenge applies to variable rate home loans held with another lender. Unity Bank will endeavour to beat your existing variable rate but cannot guarantee in every case. 7. Fleet discount offered by National Car Service Australia ABN 51 090 920 059 for general information only. You should verify the accuracy and completeness of the information yourself. National Car Search Australia is not available in Tasmania or The Northern Territory. Limited service provided in Western Australia. The offer can be withdrawn at any time without notice. Unity Bank Limited. | ABN 11 087 650 315 | AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 240399.

FERRIES

Wire Drawn FeRRy workers secure 23% pay rise

A

fter six months of protracted industrial struggle, MUA members employed at Birdon’s wire drawn ferries on waterways throughout Sydney were successful in securing a massive 23% pay increase along with a swathe of other improvements – including an end to outsourcing, paid union delegate leave and member-led recruitment.

The Union also rolled out Family and Domestic Violence Leave in the new EBA that was locked down after extensive industrial action at river crossings including Wisemans Ferry, Mortlake, Berowra Waters, Webbs Creek and Sackville. he rollin indefinite industrial action as called on when Birdon, the same company responsible for importing dangerous and unseaworthy ferries

26

to Sydney in 2020 and 2021, initially refused to budge from a pay offer that was the absolute minimum legally allowed for. In February, the company had refused to offer more than 1 cent more than the legal minimum.

Industrial action took the form of three hour and 24 hour stoppages, however ferry operators attended their workplaces unpaid during work-bans in order to be available to provide emergency services vehicles with access to a river-crossing method.

“Further, after very careful consideration, the Ferry Operators made the decision that they would also take school buses across the river. Many of the Operators live in these communities themselves and know just how vital the ferry services are. We made clear to the community that while this action was essential for wage and workplace justice, it was Birdon and Transport for NSW we

www.mua.org.au

Sydney river crossings closed to passengers while crews demand fair pay

wanted our action to target – not our families, friends and communities,” explained Paul Garrett, the MUA Sydney Branch Deputy Secretary.

The ferry service is owned by the NSW Government, but outsourced to the private sector. MUA Sydney Branch has called on the new Labor Government to withdraw the pointless and counter productive contractingout of this service and return it to public hands.

“The assets are owned by the government, the roads on either side are the responsibility of the

government, the community and the public at large depend on this essential infrastructure, so privatising it was wrong to begin with, and allo in profiteerin by companies like Birdon puts the safety and reliability of this public service at risk,” said MUA Sydney Branch Secretary, Paul Keating.

“Our message to Labor’s Transport Minister, Jo Haylen is simple. Public services belong in public hands, and we can’t trust companies like Birdon in the long run to deliver essential services in the public interest. When the contract is up, bring our wiredrawn ferries back into public control,” Mr Keating said. •

27

SHIPPING

Industrial champions:

QuEEnsland fuel barge crew win big in new agrEEment 28

www.mua.org.au

T

he crew of the Champion 63 fuel barge were running on empty after bargaining for a new enterprise agreement stalled in June, but in the wake of protected industrial action achieved pay increases of 25% and other vital conditions in a new agreement.

Members of the Australian aritime fficers nion the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers, and the Maritime nion of Australia voted up protected industrial action on 11 June 2024.

The crews had been trying to formalise their employment conditions with ASP Ship Management since the bunkering operations commenced in February 2023. It took ASP approximately six months to issue the Notice of Employee Representational Rights (“NERR”) and start bargaining.

“The crew of the new bunker barge on the Brisbane River and the maritime unions bent over backwards to ma e this vessel or hen it first started operatin said A Assistant Branch Secretary Paul Gallagher.

“Eighteen months down the track when it comes time for BP to reward their crew and pay industry standards what do they do? They deny them fair wages, a workable roster and threaten their back pay!” Gallagher said. he A also filed a bar ainin dispute after ASP refused to take seriously their claim for a roster that does not require crews to work every weekend.

“Having to work every weekend because ASP does not have suitable relief arrangements

www.mua.org.au

LEFT: MUA QLD Branch Assistant Secretary Paul Gallagher led the campaign of Protected Industrial Action against ASP alongside rank and file members in Brisbane.

ABOVE & BELOW: Bunker barge Champion 63 is essential for the Queensland cruise ship industry.

is unacceptable said A ndustrial fficer racey llis “Crews have a right to be rostered time off to spend with their family. aitin for A to fi the issue did not or filin a ar ainin ispute in the Fair Work Commission did not work, so the crews will take protected industrial action until their concerns are taken seriously,” Ellis said.

The crews onboard the Champion 63 voted up an unlimited number of stoppages of work of between one hour and 48 hours.

At the time, Mr Gallagher added that,

“the Maritime unions will not tolerate the big multinational fuel barons of this world undermining the Australian maritime wages and conditions of seven local mariners who are trying their best to support our own local shipping and Cruise Ship industry.

If your cruise holiday gets delayed it is because, after recording over $40 billion profit in last t o years has decided they can’t pay industry standards in Brisbane and want to keep their workers’ wages low.”

Eventually, ASP Ships buckled under the pressure of industrial action and in September 2024 signed a new agreement with the three maritime unions which delivered training wages of $85,000 per annum and General Purpose Hand wages of between $100,000 and and $115,500 per annum, with overtime penalties of 200% and 250% depending on shift times.

Annual increases of at least 2% or CPI, whichever is greater, lock in the purchasing power of these new salaries hile all cre ill receive five weeks’ annual leave. The Agreement also delivers a Charter of Workplace ele ates’ i hts to facilitate union organising activities, bargaining and union education or training. •

29

ITF

ITF Australian Inspectorate’s

Flag of Convenience ‘Week of Action’ reveals visa rorts and seafarer exploitation A

n obscure visa loophole has been identified by the Australian Coordinator of the International Transport Workers Federation nspectorate as the method by hich lu ury e pedition cruise operators are replacin Australian seafarers ith vulnerable forei n or ers on the Australian coast During the ITF Inspectorate’s ee of Action ship inspectors have identified rampant a e theft and mistreatment of visa or ers aboard ships operatin in the Australian coastal trade he ships involved include offshore oil and gas ships in the orth est of A and lu ury cruise ships catering to tourists visitin Australia’s tropical aters ean hile offshore oil and as companies have been found ripping off forei n or ers by refusin to ac no led e their entitlement to payment rates ne otiated for by Australian unions tellin mi rant or ers they are only entitled to the base a e in the A ard safety net he seafarer shorta e in Australia identified by the A alon side

30

and A A last ee is contributin to a culture of abuse mistreatment and normalised a e theft aboard ships operating around the Australian coast he Australian nspectorate identified an estimated illion in underpayments associated ith visa rorts in the e pedition cruise ship and Offshore Oil & Gas ndustries hich represents rou hly one third of the estimated total of illion that as identified throu h the ee of Action said addy rumlin the A ational ecretary and resident The ITF is calling for urgent federal government intervention to stamp out the abuse of these vulnerable or ers and restore Australian seafarers to domestic shipping and tourism voya es his type of corruption and manipulation of our employment and industrial la s to e ploit vulnerable mi rant or ers is unconscionable and those cau ht doing it must be pursued in the courts said r rumlin he air

Work Ombudsman must investigate and prosecute these systemic abuses and manipulations of Australia’s or place and immi ration la s by ma or multinationals he added As ell as by rortin visa loopholes ship o ners have been shir in their responsibilities to pay seafarers properly by manipulatin the temporary vessel licence scheme and refusin to pay rates of pay consistent ith Australian industry benchmar s e are seein ild fluctuations in rates of pay from seafarer to seafarer dependin on hat the ship o ner or the tour operator thin s they can et a ay ith y allo in shipo ners to rort the visa system Australian seafarers are bein undercut by as much as said an ray the coordinator of the Australian nspectorate Australian seafarers are bein penalised for having strong unions and their jobs are being offshored by stealth usin a loophole in the maritime or force visa system that is intended to allo forei n seafarers to briefly transit in and out www.mua.org.au

By allowing shipowners to rort the visa system, Australian seafarers are being undercut by as much as 50% IAN BRAY, ITF AUSTRALIAN INSPECTORATE COORDINATOR

of Australia to oin or depart a bona fide international ship voya e r ray said he aritime re isa hich is designed to facilitate genuine international trade is bein rorted by the e pedition and lu ury cruises sector to employ forei n seafarers for bet een and months at a time on multiple voya es that all be in and end in Australia and remain holly ithin Australian aters his as never the intention of the aritime re isa and its use this ay is an absolute scam that or place re ulators and the ome Affairs epartment must stamp out addy rumlin said Offshore oil and gas companies are also amin the system and the maritime s ills shorta e to deny www.mua.org.au

vulnerable foreign seafarers the rates of pay and conditions of employment hich Australian unions have loc ed in over decades of ne otiation hrou h sheer intimidation they are telling migrant seafarers that their only entitlement is to the A ard a e rather than nterprise A reement rates of pay in force for a particular vessel or company hich in many cases means robbin mi rant seafarers of or more of their a es At the same time Australian seafarers employed in the ffshore sector are seein employment opportunities ind up prematurely as companies replace them ith mi rant or ers usin the s ills shorta e as a smo escreen illed Australian seafarers are

in shorta e but some employers are refusing to help address the skills shorta e by trainin ne seafarers or buildin their o n industry n fact some employers have determined it is in their financial interest to do the opposite so they can eep rippin off vulnerable forei n or ers ri ht under the noses of the Australian community said r rumlin hey have made the cold calculation it is orth bootin an Australian or er off the ship so they can bully a mi rant or er into acceptin a pay cut r rumlin added he is callin on the Australian Government to close the Maritime re isa loophole and direct its regulators and agencies to crack do n on the ro in abuses endemic to the Australian maritime industry his must be done hile rapidly ups illin the Australian or force throu h ne cadetships ne trainin opportunities and procurement policies that prioritise Australian maritime or forces or in in the national interest

31

VALE COMRADE

Julie Maplesten We are sad to report that Julie Maplesten – partner of retired President and long-term Branch Secretary of the Sydney Branch MUA & WWF Jimmy Donovan – has passed away.

Julie was very well known to the A’s members officers and staff for her constant involvement in the Union alongside Jim, and in more recent times, for her participation with our Veterans’ association.

Julie was much loved by Jimmy and shared in all of his industrial and political contributions, both to the MUA and to the national and international progressive trade union movements.

Julie passed away in hospital after a sudden viral infection and was taken to the hospital along with Jim who has also been dealing with a number of medical conditions.

On behalf of the Union, its officers staff and membership we have passed on the deepest condolences and sympathies to Jim and his family along with the Veterans’ association.

Jim, Julie and Jim’s son Stephen were special guests at our recent National Council function where the Union’s appreciation for their long and extraordinary commitment to our Union and membership was celebrated.

Vale Julie Maplesten; sister, comrade, beloved partner of Jim and passionate and committed fi hter for or ers’ ri hts Now at rest.

Paddy Crumlin MUA National Secretary Paul Keating MUA Sydney Branch Secretary

Bill Highfield The Union passes on its deepest condolences and sympathies to the family, friends and comrades of Bill i hfield ho passed a ay in uly What a wonderful friend and comrade Bill was. Ever cheerful and optimistic, he had an irrepressible good sense of humour and was a delight and inspiration to be around.

A polished raconteur highlighted by a singing voice of reat fibre and depth ill ould

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generate good vibes in all the social, industrial, political and charitable engagements and collaborations he participated so generously and pervasively in. He was generous to a fault.

A mature unionist, Bill was balanced, wise and experienced.

He was a constant mentor in the MUA’s participative and cross generational type of organising and campaigning. Like most maritime workers, his exposure to the world of exploitation and deprivation that is the lot of the Flag of Convenience seafarer, he determined that the quality of his life would be interdependent with how he could improve the quality of their lives whether on the job, through the union or with the ITF. This passion and commitment spilt over into his retirement and he was always a steady hand at his time at the wheel of the Veterans or at the Boomerang Club. Literally as well behind the wheel of the bus giving those seafarers some essential time for themselves while in his port, always ensuring their needs were met in any way he or his beloved union could assist.

Some of this commitment and sense of responsibility came from the boilerplate of his own e perience as a atric s harfie here the capacity to find strength in unity and courage determined the industrial outcome of survival, particularly during the dispute in 1998.

Bill was a constant contributor to that strength and courage captured culturally and artistically in his fine sin in and or ith the Unions NSW choir rallying and reminding us all that dark days and challenges come and go but the outcomes are determined through unity and struggle and belief in the working class.

What a great gift he has left in us that knew him and had the great pleasure of his company from the picket line, to the club and to the Mexico City Congress of the ITF, where our Union’s international work and generational commitment and achievement was recognised for its importance in 2011.

In later years while confronted with so many challenges brought about by age and health, that clear voice of his continued to ring out

as it does in his memory with us all still.

To Bill’s family, particularly Stephanie who carried him with such care in his last years, on behalf of all of our members staff and officers of the A and please accept our most sincere and heartfelt sympathy and condolences. ale ill i hfield a family man unionist and artist of good and true heart, rich talent and deep and inexhaustible generosity and charity as his way to and of life. Now at rest.

Paddy Crumlin MUA National Secretary ITF President

Tex Moran

A great comrade, Tex Moran gave 60 years of his life as a member of the union in service of its aims and our collective objectives.

Balmain to his bootstraps, tough, Tex was a respected a leader of workers and a seafarer who enjoyed the highest respect of all maritime workers who knew him or knew of him. He was an accepted equal to generations of Seamen’s Union and MUA leaders and was a close personal friend to many of them including Pat Geraghty, Taffy Sweetenson, John Benson , Snowy Webster Laurie Steen John Brennan and many more.

Tex lived his long and colourful life to the fullest and never took a backward step from any challenge no matter how great, in everything he did.

The Union extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to his family, including his son Michael who is now also an MUA member.

He will be greatly missed as he was greatly loved and respected. www.mua.org.au

Vale Tex Moran, union always, friend and comrade around which our union relied and was built on.

Paddy Crumlin MUA National Secretary

Stan Sharkey

The Maritime Union of Australia was saddened to hear of the passing of CFMEU leader and mentor, Stan Sharkey.

Stan was born and raised in Sydney during the tough years of the depression and Second World War. He served his apprenticeship and became a bricklayer, joining the union and the Communist Party – later the Socialist Party – in response to the injustice he saw in Australia and globally.

Stan was an outstanding trade union leader, communist and progressive activist that never left the boxing ring of class struggle through a lifetime of political and industrial attack and confrontation.

Fearless, committed, tough as teak and motivated by the needs of others before all else, his life was a celebration of the working class values of empathy, tenacity, dialogue and consensus within a genuine united front that permeated not only the Australian trade union and progressive movement but also the international movement for peace, social and economic justice and equity and political accountability. e as the first oint ational Secretary of the CFMEU after holding the roles of National Secretary, Assistant National Secretary and New South Wales Secretary of the Building Workers Industrial Union.

Along with Pat Clancy, Tom McDonald and Ernie Boatswain, Stan was part of the BWIU Federal leadership team which established www.mua.org.au

Fearless, committed, tough as teak and motivated by the needs of others before all else, his life was a celebration of the working class values empathy, tenacity, dialogue and consensus within a genuine united front... many of the conditions which construction workers enjoy today, in particular Superannuation and Severance pay. He was also a strong internationalist and part of the union leadership that financially supported the formation of APHEDA, the trade union organisation that helps trade unionists overseas.

Stan was a serious sports lover, particularly Rugby League and the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and he was also an accomplished bo er fi htin 17 professional bouts in the light weight class, for 12 wins and a draw.

A man of family. A mighty working class and trade union advocate and leader. Humble, understated and ever reliable and greatly respected.

Now resting.

Vale Stan Sharkey.

Paddy Crumlin MUA National Secretary

Aaron Nable

The MUA Sydney Branch was incredibly saddened by the passing of our comrade Aaron Nable earlier this year. Aaron was a longtime Port otany harfie and a staunch unionist whose death at the young age of 46 is a tragedy for all who knew him.

Aaron always showed up and fought for his workmates as an

active and committed member of the Union while exhibiting all the requisite toughness and good humour necessary for a life working on the waterfront.

Motor Neurone Disease would have to be the scariest diagnosis you can get. Nabes never complained about it or the impossible struggle ahead, he faced it with the same tenacity and strength as he did his whole life.

We remember him as much for his courage and bravery in his battle against MND as for that courage and bravery he had throughout his working and social life.

There has been so much said for and about Nabes and none of it will live up to who truly was as a friend and comrade. Thankfully he was surrounded by people who showered him with the love and affection he had for them all in life. He was a great mate and comrade and loved his union and workmates. A few of his tattoos summed up what he loved and lived for.

Vale Aaron Nable, thanks for everything and always in solidarity comrade!

Mich-Elle Myers Assistant National Secretary Paul McAleer Former MUA Sydney Branch Secretary ITF Asia Pacific Dockers Coordinator

Ben Kreger

Ben Kreger stood for everything we hold dear on the job. Coming to work on the waterfront later in his working life, Ben quickly threw himself behind safety campaigns, union activism and workplace organising. Introduced to the waterfront by his seafaring mate Jeff Carroll, Ben got a start at the

33

VALE COMRADE

Hutchison terminal in Sydney in 2014 and quickly put himself forward as a delegate, Health and Safety Representative and committee member.

He was soon caught up in the dis raceful utchison fiasco of hen bosses sac ed harfies by text message, but he remained staunch and committed throughout this ordeal and was a great source of strength for his many comrades on the picket.

Over the years, he undertook and delivered safety training and was an integral part of the National Waterfront Safety Unit, where he shared in and socialised his expertise and strategic mindset with comrades from across the industry nationwide.

His canny interest in the laws, rules and regulations which underpin workplace safety for waterfront workplaces meant that he could speak with authority about safety issues on the job, enjoyed steadfast support from all of his workmates, and commanded respect from the bosses whenever an issue or ris as identified “As far as safety delegates go I’ve never met one more committed to keep going until justice prevailed.

The three longest safety stoppages I’ve been involved in all had Benny leading them. He was relentless and incredibly courageous,” said former MUA Sydney Secretary, Paul McAleer. ational afety fficer ustin Timmins described a man who was dependable, staunch and completely preoccupied with the ey issue facin harfies ma in sure every one goes home safely at the end of each shift. “I was proud to room with Ben on national safety unit conferences where we were all the beneficiaries of his strate ic mindset. When we went to Jakarta, Ben delivered safety training to Hutchison workers in the South East Asian region, contributing to a safety culture that crosses borders,” Timmins said. “He understood the importance of internationalism and organising with our sisters and brothers throu hout the acific As he told the room of delegates in Jakarta, we have more in common

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with each other than we ever will with the bosses,” Timmins recalled.

“He was a knockabout, he loved a drink, loved his Tigers and loved a punt in the finest tradition of all harfies but he as also someone who loved his workmates and worked tireless in their interests by fi htin for stron er safety standards. His contribution is broader than just Hutchison in Port Botany, it grew to the other terminals and spread to other states through his activism within our Union, and we are all indebted to him for that,” said Paul Keating, MUA Sydney Branch Secretary. “Vale Benny Kreger, a beloved comrade whose loss we all still feel,” Keating said.

and comradeship he brought to life at sea with his fellow MUA members.

Through his Australian seafaring career, he sailed aboard the Goliath, Iron Chieftain as well as the bunker boat, forming many lifelong friendships with fellow crewmembers who were all shocked by his senseless and tragic death. Many spoke of his obvious and abiding love of family and his working life at sea, as well as his passion for fishin Rest in peace, ‘Puncha’ – taken from your family and your workmates too soon.

Andres Pancha

Neville Lovett

The Maritime Union of Australia Victoria Branch was deeply saddened to report the passing of Andres Pancha, a seafarer employed on the INCO barge to members under incredibly distressful circumstances.

Andres as fishin on his o n in the early hours of Saturday morning at Frankston Pier when he was randomly attacked, resulting in his death.

Andres has been a member of our Union for more than twelve years and was a valued and respected colleague and friend to his workmates.

A person not known to Andres, was charged with murder.

Our thoughts are with his wife and three children, extended family and friends, as they now navigate their way through this shocking and traumatic event.

Seafaring members nationwide paid tribute to Andres and the spirit

It is with great sadness that I advise the Union that my dad, Neville Lovett, a life member of the MUA (formerly SUA) has passed away at age 97, still a staunch union man!

Dad was in the Royal Australian Navy for 12 years, and the Merchant Navy for 28 years.

He loved to get the Maritime Workers Journal in the post, although he had lost touch with fellow members, he still felt part of his Union.

Dad’s ashes will be scattered to sea to join my brother (also former Merchant Navy) in October.

Dad found his old SUA T-shirt just before he passed away and wore it with pride! “ He slipped his mooring on the low tide at 12 noon and quietly drifted out to sea”

Robert Lumsden MUA Victoria Branch Secretary

Tracey Lovett

www.mua.org.au

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WOMEN

WOM EN S RE PO RT Women in Male Dominated Occupations and Industries converge in Cairns for biennial conference o hundred and fifty union omen employed in male dominated industries and occupation conver ed in airns in ay to come to ether and share in their e periences of or in as omen in or places here they are a minority he conference is an opportunity and a forum for or in class omen to come to ether to help one another brea do n barriers and provide support to omen or in in male dominated industries to thrive and build their careers o hundred and fifty omen representin nearly unions from all around Australia and e ealand attended ith those dele ates leadin the airns ay ay march on onday ay

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n many traditionally male dominated industries and or places omen are li ely the only oman in their or place and or e perience or here decisions are made by men ith little re ard for issues that affect omen at or he ey themes and ob ectives of this year’s conference ere to build ne obs in rene able ener y vocational and technical trainin opportunities brea in do n barriers to omen’s participation at or and campai ns

TOP: Delegates to Cairns WIMDOI 2024 ABOVE: WIMDOI women lead the charge at May Day rally in North Queensland

to help omen pursue sustainable re ardin and lon term careers ith paid omestic iolence leave and the elimination of the ender pay ap he conference also heard from omen or ers from overseas includin contributions from omen or ers from anada yanmar and alestine www.mua.org.au

Women’s Committees revitalised across the nation by rank and file activists

ABOVE: Sydney women of the MUA came together to rebuild networks and get more women into the industry.

resh from the inspirational learnin s of A omen’s epresentative and ommittee resident teph arrell teamed up ith her ranch and the ational omen’s ep An e oore to or anise t o fantastic meetin s to superchar e the ne t iteration of omen activists in the est A reat turn out of participants from across our industry too the opportunity to hear details of ho the A are or anisin for e uality on a national and lobal sta e in addition to contributin their o n valuable e periences and ideas eb from ost lus oined in to spea to the roup on ho to et the best from super arental leave is e cluded from super contributions and is a structural reason many omen stru le in retirement his is already bein addressed by the A and other unions in bar ainin ne otiations eb also too loads a ay from her time at the branch about the importance

of collective stru le and A solidarity otivation and comradery ere hi h at the meetin ’s close ith a solid or plan to ro this roup’s impact n ydney erries dele ate aamara usband brou ht to ether a bi roup of omen from across the industry to build a po erful ne or anisin roup pac ed a enda as rolled out to a full room of A sisters from occupations across the harbour and ort otany ic in off the ne roup as aided by many of the participants bein freshly returned from this year’s conference An ambitious list of action items for the ydney members includes reater participation in dele ate and roles as ell as branch activism f you are a oman ho ants to be involved in your branch’s omen’s committee please reach out and if you are a male comrade support us in our activism and oin us as e ro the po er of the union

www.mua.org.au

Union Submission to the Fair Work Act Review he A made a submission to the epartment of mployment and or place elations’ independent revie of the Fair Work Amendment (Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Act 2022 he revie by linders niversity is loo in for e periences and observations about the reform implementation ho they have impacted or ers e periencin family and domestic violence and any challen es in implementin or accessin paid leave e understand that is both a cause and consequence of ender ine uality Addressin ender disparity in the maritime industry is on oin or of the union and e are callin for t o amendments to the A hich several of our branches have already secured for A members e advocate for the sensible and pra matic e tension from days leave to days duration A for immediate family to be included to access the leave as support for victim survivors

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OFFSHORE OIL & GAS

Heads must roLL

at WA WorkSafe over botched oil and gas safety investigation

T

he Maritime Union of Australia and the Australian Workers’ Union called for heads to roll at the Western Australian Safety Regulator WorkSafe in July after the regulator failed to prosecute the companies responsible for a potentially deadly incident that was dramatically captured on video and exposed via the Offshore Alliance’s social media channels.

Two offshore workers were almost killed in 2021 during the decommissioning of Santos’s Sinbad oil platform, when the lifting process of an oil platform failed and the removed head of the platform swung wildly from a crane above the scrambling work crew, who hung for dear life on the side of the tower below. The workers were not just at risk of being crushed and killed by the flailin oil platform but could also have been killed by the steel lifting cables that broke during the lift and sliced through the air above their heads.

Video posted online by the Offshore Alliance on social media showed how close to death the work crew were during the incident.

The botched lift involved numerous companies: Santos contracted Dutch company Fugro to remove the Sinbad platform, Swiss-based Allseas supplied the crane-equipped vessel, and rope-access technicians were from the then Singapore-listed AusGroup.

The MUA and the Australian Workers Union, through the Offshore Alliance, have pushed the WA safety regulator to investigate and pursue prosecutions over the reckless indifference to human life. However, the regulator claimed that too much time had passed since the incident to prosecute.

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“Santos and Fugro would rather do a job quickly and cheaply than safely, but the WA safety regulator apparently doesn’t want to take any action against these reckless industrial cowboys,” said the MUA’s Assistant National Secretary Thomas Mayo.

“If a safety regulator can’t or won’t do its job then that agency needs a clear out from top to bottom.

“The MUA will never stand idly by hen there has been such a fla rant disregard of our members’ safety by reckless and negligent companies.”

Will Tracey, the Maritime Union’s WA Branch Secretary, said the incident should have led to swift and vigorous prosecutions launched against those deemed responsible.

“Our message to the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety in WA is that if they won’t prosecute this breach we are coming after them too,” Mr Tracey said.

“It is unconscionable that the safety regulator sat on its hands for almost three years. If heads don’t roll for this at WorkSafe the entire agency must be broken apart and rebuilt.”

One of the key reasons Worksafe WA has refused to prosecute the incident is a fla ed and dan erous logic that only prosecutions which would cost less to run than the ma imum potential fine should be progressed. Worksafe WA claims that the ma imum potential fine for the Work Health and Safety breach that occurred at the Sinbad platform was

“If a safety regulator can’t or won’t do its job then that agency needs a clear out from top to bottom.” THOMAS MAYO, MUA ASSISTANT NATIONAL SECRETARY

www.mua.org.au

$110,000 at the time of the incident.

“This is an alarming and inexcusable failure from the safety re ulator said ade a efield Acting National Secretary of The Australian Workers’ Union.

“DEMIRS exists to keep workers safe and to hold employers acting recklessly to account, but it is failing that mission.

“Workers in all sectors need to be confident that there’s a safety regulator with teeth that’s willing to act in the interests of their safety at work. Right now, all we have here is a regulator rolling over and abandoning workers in the hydrocarbons sector.” •

www.mua.org.au

39

AUSTRALIAN SHIPPING

Bunbury offshore wind projects closer to fruition The latest offshore wind declaration marks the sixth major development zone for the burgeoning new industry that will deliver ongoing employment for wharfies and seafarers all around our coast.

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T

he Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) applauded further progress toward the development of Australia’s offshore renewable energy in September, with the announcement of the Federal Government’s official declaration of the offshore wind zone in the Indian Ocean off Bunbury on the southwestern corner of Western Australia.

The announcement is a major step towards delivering energy and job security in a region that has been an important contributor to Australia’s resources and energy needs in recent years.

The MUA said the Government’s commitment to building renewable infrastructure in Australia would support heavy industry with cheaper renewable electricity, maximising local content and workers, and expanding Australian supply chains.

“This is a win for workers, industry and the environment,” said MUA Assistant National Secretary, Thomas Mayo. “Western Australia is on the cusp of turbocharging its economy with abundant, cheap and emission free electricity that is the obvious complement to the resources and mining sectors.” www.mua.org.au

MUA Western Australia Branch Secretary, Will Tracey, said that: “the declaration of this offshore wind zone is another step to building an Australian offshore wind industry that will deliver and sustain many thousands of long-term and rewarding jobs for maritime workers.

Dockworkers and seafarers are ready to use their skills honed handling coal and building big offshore oil and gas projects to deliver offshore renewable energy for the people of WA.” The declared area covers 3,995km2 and is at least 30 kilometres from shore. The area is located offshore between Dawesville and Cape Naturaliste, WA. The government estimates the new Bunbury area will create an estimated 7,000 new jobs during construction and approximately 3,500 ongoing jobs “We look forward to assembling offshore wind turbines in Bunbury and using skilled Australian seafarers to install and maintain them,” Thomas Mayo said.

The union highlighted how crucial www.mua.org.au

it was that renewable energy projects being announced by the Federal Government were backed with plans to skill up and provide long term employment opportunities for Australian workers.

“We need to maximise the opportunity for local businesses, local manufacturing and local workers employed on strong, safe and wellpaid union agreements to ensure the massive investment we’re seeing in this sector is economically beneficial to WA workers and their families,” Will Tracey said. “We call on the WA state government to get involved with developing an offshore wind strategy for our state that ensures we get the best possible benefit of the potential jobs, investment and bulk renewable energy that’s on offer,” Mr Tracey said.

The MUA has been campaigning, alongside other unions with workers in this burgeoning industry, to see rock solid procurement and local content commitments from state and federal governments.

“We look forward to working with both levels of government to turn their various verbal commitments

The government estimates the new Bunbury area will create an estimated 7,000 new jobs during construction and approximately 3,500 ongoing jobs that these projects will deliver local employment into concrete economic benefits for Australians workers in WA and beyond.

Enforceable procurement rules will guarantee these projects deliver the quality jobs and local supply chain opportunities that are being promised,” Mr Mayo said. •

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AUSTRALIAN SHIPPING

Seafarer shortage pushes national resilience to the brink

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he critical shortage of seafarers facing the Australian maritime industry threatens Australia’s energy security, national defence and supply chain resilience without an urgent overhaul of maritime skills and training.

A new report commissioned has been commissioned by offshore energy exploration and production company INPEX with the support of the Maritime Union alongside Maritime Industry Australia Limited Assistant National Secretary, Jamie Newlyn

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(MIAL), the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers (AIMPE) and the Australian Maritime fficers nion A The Maritime Workforce Position Paper reveals: • A major shortage of seafarers with the internationally-recognised ualifications re uired to service strate ically si nificant Australian maritime assets.

• An ageing current workforce in desperate need of regeneration.

• A major funding shortfall for maritime skills training to meet the jobs’ gap. hese factors ere identified as long ago as the 2013 Australian Maritime Workforce Development Strategy – which was delivered by the current Prime Minister as the then responsible Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.

INPEX Australia Senior Vice President Corporate Bill Townsend said Australia’s pool of seafarers

Australia cannot risk reliance on overseas maritime skills in an increasingly polarised and unstable geopolitical environment.

www.mua.org.au

declined by 23 per cent over the last year.

“We’re now seeing the demand for seafarers outstripping supply in circumstances approachin flashpoint This is a result of limited action in the past decade to ensure the training and crewing sustainability of the Australian shippin fleet r o nsend said Globally, the industry is predicting a need for up to 89,510 additional officers by a challen e ma nified by the pandemic.

Mr Townsend said the shortfall had a direct impact on the capacity of the maritime workforce to meet the expansion and maintenance of Australia’s offshore oil and gas sector.

“And as Australia’s energy mix continues to diversify, there will be a severe shortage of maritime professionals to support offshore windfarms and to carry out important decommissionin or he said he report identifies poor trainin pathways as central to the nation’s inability to develop the maritime workforce needed – with myriad barriers and disincentives stymying education and skills’ development, such as high costs and a lack of access to berths to undertake the mandatory sea time.

It calls for a whole-of-government response and funding package from the Commonwealth to address proven pinch points in maritime education, training and retention; streamlining the complexity of current pathways and assisting with heavy costs stiflin the pipeline of ratin s en ineers and officers The Maritime Workforce Position Paper recommends four immediate actions to rectify current maritime workforce shortages, with two further

recommendations over the next 3-5 years to ensure national resilience is not compromised.

IMMEDIATE ACTION: Secure funding for retention, training and education in maritime workforce roles. Reduce or subsidise RTO fees, provide workforce support program.

IMMEDIATE ACTION: Targeted recruitment campaign to inspire and attract people with transferable skills into areas of maritime workforce demand.

IMMEDIATE ACTION: Expand the talent pool by making existing STEM and technical vocation incentive programs available to people studyin maritime ualifications

IMMEDIATE ACTION: Make seagoing berths available on all vessels controlled under Government and Government-related contracts.

3-5 YEAR ACTION: Standardising education, training and career pathways through establishing a national maritime training coalition with appropriate geographic distribution that facilitates effective maritime workforce development outcomes.

3-5 YEAR ACTION: Invest in technology and instructors to support optimisation of skills acquisition, development, and deployment for the maritime sector.

The MUA’s Assistant National Secretary, Jamie Newlyn, welcomed the report, saying that “maritime skills are integral to an island nation such as Australia, with its vast resources and maritime infrastructure “This report highlights the critical areas required for Australia to

become an important maritime hub for the region and to support many initiatives and government policies, from offshore decommissioning through to offshore renewable energy and, importantly, the Strategic Fleet to support Australia’s sovereign capability e lyn e plained “Australia cannot risk reliance on overseas maritime skills in an increasingly polarised and unstable geopolitical environment. We must immediately address the current and future maritime s ills ap identified by industry in this report Representatives of other maritime unions also weighed in, with Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers Federal Secretary, Martin Byrne, saying: “Marine Engineers are vital to the operation of the ships that carry Australia’s commercial cargoes and the offshore vessels which have helped develop Australia’s oil and gas industry.

“Australia needs home grown Marine Engineers to ensure our self-reliance – to develop offshore energy sources of the future, to continue to provide emergency response capacity in times of crisis, to patrol our Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ), and contribute to re ional peace and security r Byrne added.

Australian aritime fficers nion ecutive fficer arrod oran said that “Australia has a proud maritime tradition. Our maritime history has seen us protect our citizens, protect our coast and protect our soverei nty “We need Australian seafarers to crew Australian ships, safety navigate our important ports, link us with the world in times of need and ultimately take on the leadership roles in our ports and harbours oran added

Che Kenneally n uly A harfie he enneally as cro ned the ne orld Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion.

Our Union has supported Che on her journey from the waterfront to the professional boxing ring and we are all so proud of everything she has achieved!

“We raised money from the branch and beyond, with members from across the country tipping in to the support fund to get Che over the line through her training and travel regime. As a single mum, an elite athlete and a hard or in risbane harfie he has done herself and the Union so proud and the Queensland Branch thanks every member of the MUA who got behind Che and supported her on the course to this tremendous victory said Assistant ranch ecretary aul Gallagher. www.mua.org.au

43

DOCKERS

Garden Island Painters and Dockers agreement voted up

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or years, Painters and Dockers have been unorganised in Sydney’s Ship Building and Repair facility on Garden Island, but recent advancements by the Sydney Branch have set the stage for a radical uptick in membership within the sector that should be replicated in workplaces throughout the nation.

In late July, MUA Painters and oc ers voted up their first agreement in years. This comes off the historic gaps in coverage caused by the deregistration of the Painters and Dockers Union many years ago. he ne a reement confirms that this work is MUA work, and these workers should be given the opportunity to become MUA

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members. The Union welcomes them all to our ranks,” said Paul Keating, MUA Sydney Branch Secretary.

The agreement delivers a massive boost in pay (approximately 10.5% on commencement) and includes a raft of union conditions that have for many years been unavailable to the workforce.

The agreement includes Domestic Violence Solidarity Leave, allowing members 10 days paid leave per year to render assistance to their loved ones in times of their greatest need.

The deal also includes an International Worker Solidarity clause, compelling the employer

to only use visa streams with a transition to permanent residence for recruitment of migrant workers, and to pay for all visa costs. his is a si nificant in and a key social and economic justice measure for workers who are being brought in to do skilled work in Australian shipyards. Employers cannot be allowed to treat workers as a tradeable or disposable commodity across borders and through our airports, so by locking in a pathway to permanent residency for workers at Garden Island and other dockyards, the MUA is delivering a crucial social and economic justice outcome for these workers,” said Mr Keating. •

www.mua.org.au

PEACE

MUA stands with Palestine

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he Maritime Union of Australia has an unmatched record of solidarity, support and action alongside people sufferin atrocities fleein violence and resisting oppression. For more than 150 years, our Union has taken a leadership role in the peace movement, against violence, imperialism, arms proliferation and apartheid wherever it exists.

The Union reiterates its ongoing call for an immediate and enduring ceasefire e call for an immediate release of all hostages. We call for an end to the blockade of Gaza.

We reject any suggestion that this call for peace is one-sided. We have continuously condemned the activities of Hamas. We join our fellow Australian and international trade unionists in condemning the deaths of over 34,000 people since 7 October2023.

The MUA calls for a just and sustainable peace in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, including the removal of illegal settlements, the withdrawal of Israel from all Palestinian lands along with the dismantling of the separation wall.

Israel’s indiscriminate military bombardment has killed thousands and displaced millions more. The continued siege is denying Gazans’ access to essential services including fuel, water and electricity and lifesaving food and medical supplies.

Two million people are facing food insecurity. Food shortages have exceeded famine levels and mass death is imminent. The MUA condemns the use of starvation as a weapon of war and urges Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice’s Order to

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take immediate steps to prevent acts of genocide, punish incitement to genocide, and facilitate the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

The MUA’s branches joined rallies around Australia during recent months, including through the National Day of Action in May, turning out in force at Port Botany, Port of Brisbane and Port Melbourne, Fremantle, Newcastle, Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart.

At the South Australian Labor Conference in October, Assistant National Secretary of the MUA Jamie Newlyn called on Labor Governments to prevent the export of weapons to Israel through Australia. “We should starve Israel of access to weapons and military equipment whilesoever they continue to starve Palestinians of access to international aid as well as basic essentials including fuel, food and water,” Newlyn told the conference.

A united Ireland in our lifetimes A meeting of the Australian Friends of Irish Unity was held in the Maritime Union rooms in Sydney on a weekend in April, bringing together Irish Australians, visiting representatives from the Sinn Fein party, and union and community activists who support the cause for a united Ireland. ith inn ein the official opposition in the Irish Republic and the leading party of government in Northern Ireland, the momentum for unity and republicanism in Ireland continues to build pace. A general election in the Republic is due early next year, and the conservative

coalition government of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil lurch from one political crisis to the next. Like all neoliberal parties, they deliver austerity budgets which fail to address the pressing social and economic needs of working-class people.

Sinn Fein’s leader, Mary-Lou McDonald, extended her best wishes and gratitude to the meeting of Australian Friends of Irish Unity through her representative, Barry Corr, and redoubled her commitment to pursuing referenda across both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, in line with the Good Friday Agreement, to test popular support for a united Ireland.

The meeting was attended by rank and file members of the and the MUA, members of the Irish community in Sydney, as well as former CFMEU communications officer addy Gorman and guests including NSW Attorney General Michael Daley, current NSW Member of the Legislative Council, Cameron Murphy, and long serving former NSW parliamentarian, Paul Lynch – all of whom are committed to Irish unity, peace and independence.

The meeting discussed the recent elections in Northern Ireland as well as the upcoming Republic of Ireland elections and the pathway to unity for all Irish people, and what can be done by the Australian community of Irish expats and members of the diaspora to promote the cause of Irish unity in the crucial months and years ahead. •

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BULK LIQUIDS

Quantem Bulk Liquid members walk out across the country

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n August, Quantem Bulk Fuel Terminal Operators took strike action in Port Adelaide as part of the ongoing struggle to secure pay parity across Bulk Fuel terminals in Geelong in Victoria, Davenport and Pelican Point and Largs Bay in South Australia, and Fremantle in Western Australia.

Quantem Bulk Liquids has been trying to force its operators to work alongside one another, doing the exact same job, with some being paid 50% less than others.

In a massive display of solidarity from the Adelaide working class, hundreds of workers turned out in support for the strike.

As workers from UWU, the AMWU, the CEPU, the

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MUA, AWU and Unionists for Palestine turned out to join the demonstration, MUA lawyers were preparing for a Fair Work Hearing to prevent Quantem from sacking Freo delegate Scott Hutchison and Geelong delegate Jason Stolk.

“Our members will never accept bosses sacking delegates and sending in scabs to undermine our industrial action,” said Bulk Liquids Alliance Organiser, Shane Reside.

The action in Port Adelaide came off the back of a Quantem national strike in late June.

“This dispute started in Geelong and has now spread to almost every major port in the country: the question for us is – how much action are we going to have to ta e to fi ht off these

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ABOVE & RIGHT: Members across the country stopped work to fight for better pay and conditions.

LEFT: MUA South Australia Branch Secretary Brett Larkin leading the rally outside Quantem Port Adelaide in August.

attacks?” Mr Reside asked.

“We will not be bullied by this company into accepting pay cuts of some tens of thousands of dollars, or accepting the notion that workers will be forced to work alongside one another, doing the same work, and getting paid completely different a es f it’s a fi ht that they’re looking for, we’re ready,” Reside told media earlier this year.

Each of the stop work meetings, as well as meeting of Operators at Port Botany, endorsed the following motion: “This meeting of workers calls on Quantem to come to the table and reach agreement with its operators, delivering fair, consistent pay and conditions across the workforce nationally.

This meeting condemns Quantem management’s insistence on dividing www.mua.org.au

its workforce up into ever-smaller units and treating us differently according to arbitrary management categories.

We completely reject the tactics of playing us off against one another, including by ‘grandfathering’ pay so that new workers get robbed; paying dramatically different wages according to where in the country you work; paying different amounts of personal leave and refusing to honour site rates.

We know that Quantem continues to make enormous revenues off our

labour and is only seeking to strip away conditions as part of a ruthless and cynical attempt at gilding profit reports. We will not allow small groups of highly-paid managers rob us in order to fluff out their career prospects.

As a group of workers nationally, we commit to standing together and backing one another until every single operator, everywhere, gets treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.” •

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RESOLUTIONS

MUA QUADRENNIAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2024

RESOLUTIONS 1. NEW RULES That the Maritime Union of Australia develop additional rules of coverage to include control, operation, management of autonomous vessels and the development of any other automated technology includin artificial intelli ence and G on the waterfront. This is a new and quickly evolving space that our rules have never considered and is going to become more prevalent in the future at the detriment of classifications currently covered by our rules.

2. PROGRESSIVE INTERNATIONAL

he A is affiliated to the ro ressive International through the ITF and will support campaigns and activities and become more active in the work of the ro ressive nternational othin prevents any Branch from a direct affiliation to the ro ressive nternational

3. PALESTINE

he ational onference of embers reiterates the MUA’s longstanding position of solidarity ith the oppressed alestinian people and the fi ht for a free and liberated alestine ith e ual ri hts for all residents onference notes the follo in a or years historic alestine has been unjustly occupied by the state of Israel, with the backing of Western overnments alestinians e pelled from their homelands in the a ba are still denied the right of return. b. Israel is an apartheid state. The alestinian occupied territories are under the control of srael and alestinians are not granted equal rights. c ince Ga a has been under total siege, subject to a land, sea and air bloc ade Ga a is an open air prison d. Since October 2023, Israel has sub ected million people in Ga a to unprecedented bombardment, illin tens of thousands and tar etin hospitals, refugee camps, and residential areas. Israel has cut off food, water, electricity, and fuel. These are war crimes. e. The Israeli government continues to facilitate settler violence on alestinians in the West Bank, and unjustly mass arrests thousands of alestinians they are political prisoners.

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f. Israel’s claim that the assault waged since ctober is an act of self defence has no standing in International law. g. The MUA has a proud tradition of standing on the side of the colonised and oppressed in their fi ht for liberation including using our industrial strength in the struggle for social justice. There is no equivalence between coloniser and colonised he alestinian people have an inalienable right to resist. h. The rejection of Zionist ideology and Israel’s violence is not antisemitic. A large and growing number of Jewish individuals and groups are speaking out against Israel’s crimes against humanity. he alestinian ri hts movement including the MUA, is committed to fi htin anti emitism slamophobia and all forms of racism, and welcomes Jewish attendees and speakers at all its actions. i alestinian trade unions have called on unions internationally to campaign to urgently halt arms trade with Israel, as well as all funding and military research. They also say that Western diplomatic ties with Israel and the lack of clear condemnation from Western governments have given Israel carte blanche to increase violence against alestinians

onference resolves that • The MUA continues to support movements for justice for the alestinian people and supports campaigns calling for an end to violence in Ga a and the est an the sie e on Ga a all apartheid la s and ille al occupation. We call for a permanent ceasefire and to be in steps for a ust peace for the alestinian people e ill support the alestinian unions’ campai n to end eapons e ports and diplomatic relations between all countries includin Australia and Israel. e ill e ert pressure on the state of Israel via companies and institutions complicit in the ongoing occupation and violence. We support all campaigns called for by the alestinian trade unions represented by the alestinian General ederation of rade nions including the ongoing call for Boycotts, ivestment and anctions a ainst Israel.

• We will defend the movement and any MUA member disciplined, arrested,

charged or discriminated against for supporting the BDS campaign in the fi ht to free alestine e call on the Australian Government to release to the public a full list of all eapons e ported to srael since this war began, and campaign for an end to eapons e ports to srael he Maritime Union of Australia and its representatives will use all avenues to pressure Australian governments and political parties and end all supply of weapons and military equipment to Israel.

• The MUA will lobby peak union bodies at state and federal levels to adopt these positions and support national union rallies to say no bombin of Ga a end the sie e on Ga a and stop eapons supplies to Israel.

4. AUKUS

NO TO NUCLEAR SUBMARINES. JOBS AND HEALTH, NOT NUKES In 2021, Scott Morrison announced a joint venture nuclear po ered submarine deal with the UK and US. The AUKUS $360 billion agreement supersedes a $90 billion contract to acquire conventional submarines that as si ned ith rance five years earlier he si countries in the orld that currently have nuclear submarines all have nuclear weapon and power programmes.

Advocates for nuclear power in Australia have been emboldened by the AUKUS deal.

The submarines would be powered by military rade hi hly enriched uranium hich can be diverted for use in nuclear eapons Australia’s plan e ploits a loophole in the current global nuclear safe uards and is fuellin copy cat behaviour by other nations he Albanese Government cannot credibly say it supports nuclear non proliferation while pursuing AUKUS. The military alliance with the US and UK has been widely condemned by unions and civil society groups. The government’s preferred location for an east coast submarine base will likely not be announced until the end of the decade, leaving the communities of ort embla e castle and Brisbane on edge. The AUKUS deal also means a greatly increased nuclear threat to the health and safety of workers, port communities and our coastal waters.

Government funds ould be better spent assisting working class families struggling with cost of living pressures.

There is no transparency around plans www.mua.org.au

for stora e of hi h level radioactive aste from the nuclear submarines ur two AUKUS partners have not resolved their radioactive waste issues despite decades of industry e perience is a massive elevation in the comple ity cost and risk from radioactive waste and will increase pressure for Australia to accept international waste. High level waste is radioactive and ha ardous to humans and the environment for up to 100,000 years.

The Australian government has repeatedly tried to impose nuclear waste dumps on irst ations land around the country and the AUKUS deal will intensify pressure on communities to host a nuclear waste site.

AUKUS will also escalate the risk of an unnecessary conflict ith hina an outcome that would be against the interests of or in people in Australia hina and every other country.

MUA National Conference: I. Stands in solidarity with workers in all countries opposing war and wasteful military spending. alls on the Australian overnment to ta e an e plicit stand a ainst nuclear weapons and war by signing the Treaty on the rohibition of uclear eapons

III. Unequivocally opposes the AUKUS deal and calls on the Albanese Government to ommit to ma imum scrutiny and openness in all aspects of the deal ommits to not impose hi h level waste on an unwilling community, in line ith orld’s est ractice around ree rior and nformed consent old a ublic n uiry into the A proposal and its implications alls for the money allocated to buildin nuclear po ered submarines to be redirected to • Building an Australian strategic shippin fleet ublic investment in offshore ind turbines and other renewable energy industries with jobs for our members; • Raising Jobseeker payments to above poverty levels; • Investments in universal public services; nvestin in firefi htin capacity and cultural burn programmes in preparation for the ne t bushfire season; and • Development of a climate disaster recovery fund

5. SAFETY

ational conference recommits to the union’s ongoing safety campaigning work and structures set up for that purpose. www.mua.org.au

onference endorses the or of the ational aterfront afety nit and its coordinating work in safety campaigning on the waterfront particularly around communications linking all waterfront sites around ship inspections and safety non compliance issues including campaigning around safe access and egress to all vessels. onference endorses the on oin or to link seagoing HSRs in coordinated activity across a ro in blue ater fleet onference endorses the on oin or aimed at achieving higher levels of licensing for all forms of machinery operating in the Australian maritime industry. onference supports the campai n for the to be elevated into re ulation onference endorses the commitment of ort afety ommittees to be established utilised as a tool to support the ational Waterfront Safety Unit in its campaign of unifyin best practice throu hout the orts

6. CFMEU / MUA JOINT SAFETY CAMPAIGNING

MUA supports the promotion of a Joint afety ampai n team bet een the A and ivisions of the and others agreed. This team will be properly resourced and ill ma imise the safety campai nin e perience bet een the ivisions of the and utilise the resources of or anisers officials and officers to assist our industries

7. VESSEL INSPECTIONS AT STEVEDORING TERMINALS SYD | group 1

HSRs and safety facilitators play a critical role in maintaining safe workplaces for stevedores and visiting crew members, through undertaking inspections of all vessels alongside at Terminals.

A national conference resolves • To ensure HSRs and safety facilitators are involved in every vessel inspection, at every workplace.

• To provide additional training and support for HSRs, safety facilitators and WHS ommittees in to assist them to carry out vessel inspections and follow up deficiencies • To encourage branches to coordinate meetings with HSRs, safety facilitators and regulatory bodies like AMSA and Safework and support members to engage these re ulatory bodies hen deficiencies or issues are found.

8. ITF AND IDC JOINT WORK AND CAMPAIGNING

he A supports the continued affiliation to the and the and ill promote

joint work and campaigning between the two organisations. The MUA will also promote the two organisations coming together once a year to formulate joint work and campai nin for each follo in t elve month period.

9. TASMANIAN DEPUTY SECRETARY

That the Maritime Union of Australia at the ne t uadrennial lections ma e the Honorary Deputy Secretary position in the asmanian branch a full time paid role of Deputy Secretary.

This will assist the branch with the ever increasin or load and assist in the attraction of ne officials to the role for future proofin and succession

10. ADDITIONAL GRADES

hat e reaffirm the current policy of the Maritime Union of Australia in introducing additional grades to the current Dues tructure as determined by ational ouncil in accordance ith the rules urrently the top rade is rade e grades required to keep the relevancy of the structure from July 1 2024 will be.

Grade based on earnin s of of base rate Grade based on earnin s of of $3200 base rate

11. QUADRENNIAL ELECTION MODERNISATION A

uadrennial lection modernisation onduct of A ivision uadrennial Election he uadrennial ational onference of members resolves that The Maritime Union of Australia ivision of the onstruction orestry Maritime Employees Union continue to conduct the uadrennial lection for ffices of the ivision in accordance ith the e emption ranted to the Division under the Fair Work e istered r anisations Act from conduct of elections by the Australian lectoral ommission and the Divisional Rules. uadrennial lection modernisation Electronic Voting he uadrennial ational onference of members resolves that the ational ouncil of he Maritime Union of Australia Division of the onstruction orestry aritime Employees Union, in consultation ith the ivisional ational eturnin fficer and in accordance ith le al advice, take the necessary steps to alter the Divisional Rules to allow for electronic voting to be utilised by the ivisional ational eturnin fficer

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RESOLUTIONS

in the conduct of the uadrennial Election and beyond. uadrennial lection modernisation A ivision uadrennial lection eriod he uadrennial ational onference of members resolves that the ational ouncil of he Maritime Union of Australia Division of the onstruction orestry aritime Employees Union, in consultation ith the ivisional ational eturnin fficer and in accordance ith le al advice, take the necessary steps to alter the Divisional Rules to shorten the time period, from opening of nominations until declaration of election result, over hich the uadrennial lection for ffices of the ivision is conducted uadrennial lection modernisation Electronic Voting he uadrennial ational onference of members resolves that the ational ouncil of he Maritime Union of Australia Division of the onstruction orestry aritime Employees Union, in consultation ith the ivisional ational eturnin fficer and in accordance ith le al advice, take the necessary steps to alter the Divisional Rules to allow for electronic voting to be utilised by the ivisional ational eturnin fficer in the conduct of the uadrennial Election and beyond. uadrennial lection modernisation A ivision lection rovision of lectronic otin latform he uadrennial ational onference of members resolves that The Maritime Union of Australia ivision of the onstruction orestry Maritime Employees Union, having due re ard to the availability and efficacy of electronic voting technology available for utilisation by the Division in the conduct of the uadrennial Election, seek to obtain and deploy this technology within the Division for use by the ivisional ational eturnin fficer in the conduct of the uadrennial lection and beyond in accordance ith the e emption granted to the Division under the Fair or e istered r anisations Act 2009 from conduct of elections by the Australian lectoral ommission and the Divisional Rules. uadrennial lection modernisation MUA Division Election Autonomy he uadrennial ational onference of members resolves that the uadrennial lection for ffices of the Division must remain, as far as practicable, free from interference or influence by parties e ternal to the

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G

ivision and further that the ational ouncil of he aritime nion of Australia ivision of the onstruction Forestry Maritime Employees Union, in consultation with the Divisional ational eturnin fficer and in accordance with legal advice, take the necessary steps to alter the Divisional Rules to require that a member who receives election donations as a candidate in an election from a person who is not a member of the Division will not be eligible for election and their nomination will be void. uadrennial lection modernisation MUA Division Election Roll he uadrennial ational onference of members resolves that the ational ouncil of he Maritime Union of Australia Division of the onstruction orestry aritime Employees Union, in consultation ith the ivisional ational eturnin fficer and in accordance ith le al advice, consider options for preventing the use by candidates of the Final Roll of Voters to obtain personal information of voters not contained in the Roll, includin throu h e ternal sources or for purposes other than the uadrennial Election, including appropriate alterations to the Divisional Rules for consideration by a Special Meeting of the Division.

12. OFFSHORE OIL & GAS DECOMMISSIONING

he ational onference of embers notes that the Australian coast currently hosts 6 million tonnes of offshore oil and as infrastructure all of hich must be removed and the seabed remediated. Half of this must occur between 2024 and 2034. The large backlog of deteriorated infrastructure plus a lac of financial and operational planning by companies to meet their legal requirements is due to insufficient re ulation his as driven by industry’s fierce reluctance to pay for their Australian clean up hen ettin a ay with dumping infrastructure elsewhere, such as the Gulf of e ico he previous federal government endorsed this approach until the enormity of the first company to fold sunk in. n response to the shoc of the orthern Endeavour liability being transferred to the public, considerable measures were taken to safeguard Australia’s economy if the entire oil and gas industry followed suit.

This work however is far from complete with industry striving to capitalise on loopholes wherever possible. Further government intervention is required to ensure the benefits are realised in Australia e reco nise the si nificant or

being undertaken since the previous uadrennial onference by the A in holding companies and the regulator accountable. Action is underway to inform and equip workers in the industry to use their credible and powerful voice, offering their e periences to decision ma ers and the Australian people. A public campaign and pressure will be needed to meet the immense political power of industry.

This conference understands that the union’s public and political advocacy for a domestic decommissioning industry has been impactful ettin decommissionin ‘right’ is now prioritised in national policy discussion. This work has been bolstered by e ternal rants reco nisin the union’s efficacy and in turn propellin or ers’ capacity to force chan e atapultin from this momentum, the MUA is positioned at the fore of the A ’s process of establishin a ‘Decommissioning Roadmap’ which will shape industry reform for the foreseeable future. This is a critical time to be at the table. he ational onference resolves that the union ill • Ensure that decommissioning work facilitates a just transition to a decarbonised energy system through the provision of good secure union jobs, carried out safely by e perienced and ell trained offshore oil and as or ers to the highest environmental standards.

Gather evidence from or ers and industry e perts to improve policies and ensure infrastructure removal, ongoing monitoring and maintenance of wells.

• Engage members through branch ‘decommissioning committees’. These ran and file roups are to be run ith the uidance of elected officials organisers and the decom policy analyst.

Empowering workers is what we do best, and this action will support members to understand their changing industry and help communicate this to fellow comrades on the job and the broader community.

Advocate for an e panded aminaria orallina ecommissionin ost ecovery Levy to assist the government take the necessary leadership to establish onshore facilities, timely vessel procurement and training provision. This use of the levy will provide for the establishment of an Australian decommissioning industry and assist a transitionin or force hile ensuring that industry pays.

• Fight for key initiatives to accelerate the supply of ualified and certificated seafarers to address the current skills shortage. Occurrences of foreign e ploited labour have already been seen in decommissioning, and the oil and gas workforce are being permitted to work without the required minimum safety trainin ur fi ht for fairness www.mua.org.au

e cellent conditions and safety are tied to maintainin ade uate levels of ualified Australian seafarers.

13. OFFSHORE SAFETY

All workers deserve to come home from work safely. We know this is best achieved in a work health and safety system where workers have a strong voice in how work is carried out, are employed on a permanent basis, and have the support of a strong union so they can speak up without fear of losing their job. On ships, global minimum maritime safety standards and maritime ualifications bac ed up by ri orous inspections apply alongside work health and safety standards.

Unfortunately oil and gas companies have influenced the Australian overnment to remove aspects of our national Work Health and Safety framework and maritime safety ualifications and standards from offshore oil and gas facilities. The Offshore etroleum and Greenhouse Gas tora e Act is does not include many workers’ safety ri hts he avi ation Act and nternational aritime r anisation ualifications and standards have been disapplied from loatin roduction tora e and ffloadin facilities hile they are connected to the seafloor ational onference notes that • The current Australian government has indicated it will make improvements to or ers’ safety ri hts under the GG Act and to the application of avi ation Act ualifications and standards o ever the government continues to maintain that only A can inspect and re ulate offshore facilities that can also be ships, and that the avi ation Act cannot apply to them in full.

• It is normal for all other vessels in Australia to have concurrent application of maritime safety and WHS regulation, regulated by both AMSA and state safety regulators. ualifications and standards are maintained on all international fla s operating in Australian waters (eg. the in aloo ision at the same time as the safety of oil and gas processes are re ulated by A ational onference calls for • The full harmonisation of offshore safety with national WHS provisions, including rights for workers to get support from a union official in their or place a mechanism for ongoing harmonisation as national WHS laws are review updated, and responsibility for WHS matters to be transferred to the same Minister who deals with WHS across other industries. he full application of the avi ation Act and ali ned ualifications and www.mua.org.au

standards to oil and gas facilities that can disconnect from the seafloor to operate as ships. AMSA should be able to carry out vessel inspections and regulate maritime aspects of vessel safety.

14. JOBS AND MEMBERSHIP GROWTH

ational onference of embers notes that The Star of the South project is likely to be the first offshore ind farm in Australia his project will provide critical jobs for MUA members ational onference resolves to commit to providing full resources to ensure that this project or any offshore wind project will consist of high quality, safe, union jobs.

All campai ns ill endeavour to ma imise the amount of jobs for MUA members.

The union will ensure that all its pro ressive policies for e ample apprenticeships and employment for irst ations people ill be applied to the campaign. The union acknowledges that continuous engagement with the Gunai urnai people is e tremely important to the unions campaign.

15. FUTURE OF FOSSIL FUELS

Runaway global heating will be disastrous for working class people all around the orld he says that from anuary 2024, the remaining carbon budget for a chance of limitin lobal heatin to has been reduced to billion tonnes of his bud et ill used up in seven years at 2023 emission levels. The MUA recognises that fossil fuels contribute to global warming. he has found that emissions from e istin fossil fuel infrastructure ill push the orld beyond of lobal heatin The International Energy Agency (created to secure oil supplies says that there is no need for investment in new coal, oil and natural gas’ to achieve a secure energy system ith net ero emissions by Addressing the climate crisis is a major challenge for our union, with so many members working in offshore oil and as and coal e ports At the same time, the construction of new renewable energy projects and industries are a huge opportunity for the maritime workforce. ational onference resolves that the A ill call for • Massive public investment in renewable energy and renewable industries, offshore wind, and to establish infrastructure needed to establish a domestic offshore oil and gas decommissioning industry. he ederal Government to re uire ood union agreements on all new renewable projects.

• Strong legislation to ensure companies comply with measures implemented by the

ne et ero conomy A ency to support workers in the energy transition.

• Job guarantees for all fossil fuel workers, and government and industry funded training and support for workers to facilitate the transition.

• Redirect fossil fuel subsidies to supporting a just transition and ensuring quality future jobs for workers in fossil fuel industries. ancellation of the illi a arrabri Gas ro ect and of frac in in the eetaloo asin otin that the or e ian overei n ealth und ta es offshore oil and as profits at e call for a substantial increase in the and to coal royalties charged by Australian states, as ueensland did in he revenue should be invested in support for workers to achieve a just transition and to build new renewable infrastructure, alongside other social programs. ational onference resolves that the A ill all on any roup campai nin a ainst new fossil fuel projects to also call for job guarantees, the need to create good union jobs in all new industries, and a just transition for all workers currently employed in fossil fuel industries. eco nise that irst ations have a ri ht to be consulted about projects on their lands and waters, to the standard of the eclaration of the i hts of ndi enous eople and that current Australian le al frameworks are constructed so as to deny irst ations their ri hts and to facilitate their dispossession.

Ac no led e that irst ations communities have a right to campaign against fossil fuel projects as leverage to protect their land and sea country and to negotiate outcomes that contribute to closing the gap and their prosperity.

• Develop union education and training to address misinformation about the climate crisis and include scientific information from the limate ouncil the and the IEA. eco nise the e traordinary profits and political power of the oil, gas and coal industry in Australia and globally means that the deck is stacked against the construction of the renewable energy at the pace we require. eferences

on the Australian carbon bud et https csiro au en ne s All Articles ecember ossil emissions hit record hi h

on the effect of as e ports to Asia odellin the emissions impact of additional G in Asia oodside com A article Gas sceptic report out of date’ oodside afrcom on e istin fossil fuels e ceedin https ipcc ch report ar report A G final pdf

de rees p do nloads

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RESOLUTIONS

16. ENERGY TRANSITION WORKSHOPS

18. CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE (CCS)

19. SEACARE – SEAFARERS WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

This conference of the members understands the critical role workers and unions will need to play in ensuring that the transition to a low carbon economy protects or ers’ interests rovidin or ers ith a firm no led e base of the social and political dynamics that has led to a rapid transition, will help put the power back in the hands of the rank and file A membership equipped with sound conte t of the orld’s ener y transition can progress a path forward through or ani in and a areness he union’s capacity to engage with members, in or places and publicly about or er led solutions to the ways we are impacted by transitioning to renewable energy production. This level of awareness will result in material outcomes for both them and communities impacted by industrial closures or shift to ero emissions Acknowledging the high level of ‘skin in the game’ workers have as the world responds to the urgent change in energy production the ational onference resolves that the union ill ailor A specific ner y ransition Workshops’ based on the international scientific consensus on the reasons energy production must change.

This knowledge sharing will provide an arena to work through the topic’s comple ity in a strai htfor ard ay and encouraging respectful discussion. oo in at the topic’s scientific base and understanding its politicised history will remove unhelpful speculation and deliver conte t freein members to play an active role in the union’s advocacy for their job security.

The oil and gas industry have never maintained their infrastructure to a sound standard, rather, they have been compelled to undertake the bare minimum at every step, as evidenced by A’s publicly available records This is especially so for infrastructure slated for decommissioning as seen just two months ago with a crew evacuation of a Bass Straight oil rig due to structural deficiencies ith the scale of decommissioning work, there is a high likelihood of unmaintained infrastructure being targeted by companies for ‘repurposing’ for novel projects regardless of appropriateness, to avoid full decommissioning obligations. he ational onference of embers also notes that the Australian arliament passed amendments to the Sea Dumping Act in 2023, enabling the cross border transport of for geological sequestration. The emerging offshore carbon capture and storage sector ill involve multifaceted maritime activities which members will be required to work on. These would include tan ers field development construction and maintenance of infrastructure, as well as ongoing monitoring. penin a ne trans national industry raises several concerns from a worker’s perspective and is deserving of close attention and considered push back.

The technology is not new, and despite the vast amount of investment into its development remains unproven at scale hen concentrated ’s to icity is a high risk to people and planet with leaks and disruptions having potential to overwhelm people and injure or kill, disrupt local ecosystems, destroy habitats, displace wildlife and induce seismicity.

With ‘best case’ scenarios being incredibly ha ardous retrofittin to aging offshore facilities for injection under the seabed introduces even more variables for fugitive emissions and associated harms.

This is reason enough to reject the practice of offshore subsea as a method to reduce levels of G G Attempts to inject Australia’s or another country’s imported under our oceans is merely an e cuse to dump infrastructure at sea while carrying on with business as usual rather than tackle climate repair head on. ational onference resolves that the union ill 1. oppose the implementation of subsea as an alternative to offshore decommissioning.

Seacare is the national workers’ compensation scheme for seafarers. The scheme and its benefits are desi ned to reco ni e that • Seafarers are part of a nationally integrated national workforce that also travels bet een states causin si nificant difficulties for covera e and treatment ithin the state based or ers’ compensation schemes edical fitness tests and very remote work mean that it can take much longer for or ers to be fit to return to or State schemes do not recognise these barriers.

• The lack of access to emergency services or medical care at sea means that heart attacks and strokes are more dangerous for workers. These are generally covered as a or related in ury in eacare but not state schemes.

Unfortunately most commercial insurance companies have pulled out of the scheme and are refusing to renew employers’ policies his is because of • the way the scheme was set up to rely on for profit insurance companies • pressure on the insurance industry due to very e pensive climate disasters the small si e of the scheme and the ay that policies are split between multiple insurers • because the previous government refused to take any action to save the scheme.

Many union EAs require the employer to provide or ers ith benefits e uivalent to Seacare, regardless of the policy the employer holds. These clauses and coverage ere a si nificant feature of the recent offshore bargaining campaign.

The MUA acknowledges the efforts by government to support the scheme, includin ne eacare irections reco ni in the need for eacare benefits and to encourage more commercial insurers to start offering policies.

• Allocating $1.4 million over two years to top up the afety et und that covers seafarers whose employers have gone bankrupt and to fund However, commercial insurers have not started to offer new policies. he A ill ontinue to or ith the other maritime unions and the A to save the eacare scheme and entitlements that recognise the ris s of the ob and difficulty in returning to work. all for a ne industry ide scheme to provide Seacare insurance and improved

17. UPDATE AND MODERNISE / CONTEMPORISE THE DIVISIONAL RULES

That the Maritime Union of Australia will form a working group to update and modernise contemporise the A divisional rules in the following areas including issues relating to coverage.

Areas shall include ule ivisional ational ecutive ule pecial eetin of members of the Division ule onduct Annual General Meeting and Special Meeting of Members of the division ule onthly ivisional ranch General eetin of embers of the Division ule ivisional ational onference ule ominations

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www.mua.org.au

care and claims management for injured seafarers • Endeavor to include the template Seacare clauses in EAs wherever possible.

20.CLASSIFICATIONS POLICY

That the Maritime Union of Australia develop or reaffirm its policy on or in in one classification only There are a number of seagoing members that or across different classifications based on the job availability, particularly ualified marine coo s acceptin or in ste ard caterer position It has become increasingly prevalent that ompanies en a e coo s in caterin positions for the purpose of having redundancy for minimum safe manning requirements. his then is to be updated and confirmed in nion olicy

21. TOWAGE FEDERATION

his ational onference of embers resolves that the Union will initiate discussions ith the A and A with regards to forming a towage federation. The aim of the federation will be to negotiate for and represent members from all three Unions.

22.SUPERANNUATION

ational onference of embers resolve that ational ouncil reco nise the anti worker campaign being waged against ndustry uper unds by A A and in con unction ith the devise a campaign to rebut this campaign. ational onference of embers resolve that a campaign to ensure compulsory superannuation payments are to coincide with pay cycles. Also to include Super under the Fair ntitlements Guarantee cheme ational onference of embers resolve that all negotiated EA’s should have reater super than the G minimum he model clause ill be e pressed as an additional contribution to the statutory minimum to ensure that superannuation contributions made under our agreements continue to rise in front of statutory minimums. ational onference of embers resolve that we negotiate with the current Labor Government to raise the concessional contributions cap from its current level of

23.NAME CHANGE That the Maritime Union of Australia determine and propose changing the name www.mua.org.au

of the broader union. A name that provides more inclusion for members and industries not currently included in the onstruction orestry aritime mployees nion and once determined propose a change to the name of the broader Union via that process of the ational ecutive or ational onference

24.GENDER PARITY IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY

he conference of members reaffirms its ongoing dedication to the past decade’s resolutions aimed at fair and inclusive workplaces for all members.

We acknowledge that the principles articulated at these previous conferences have driven positive change; such as, building union power by elevating MUA women’s capacity and activism, successful bargaining for workplace FDVL provisions, and contributing to broader social justice e.g. the campaign for Australian marriage e uality ratification of the ’s and the passage of the 2022 Respect at Work Bill.

In 2024, we recognise the limitations of our ambitions. The MUA 2020 Equity harter as heavily reliant on voluntary labour which is both unsustainable and disproportionate to the challenge. Our recent evaluation has identified a ell intentioned yet ad hoc approach to increasing women’s participation. The time has come to step up the union’s commitment commensurate with the task. Many of the issues which affect MUA omen also affect a ma ority of A men those who are parents or do not adhere to traditional masculine stereotypes, and this deserves the attention from our entire union.

A multi tiered strate ic approach is necessary for internal MUA work, and its e ternal collaboration he strate y ill facilitate alliances among unions, training providers, industry associations, WorkSafe, regulatory bodies and others. Tactics must target barriers to attracting, recruiting and retaining women, with the support of employers, managers, and the wider or force as part of a lon term campai n to progress social and workplace culture. he ational onference resolves that the union ill a. Embed and harmonise the Equity harter into the daily practice of branch work by creating a work plan based on its principles. This will be done via development of a union branch committee uity hec ist’ to be reported on at ational ouncil here progress will be measured regularly. b. Support a national campaign to compel tripartite collaboration to attract recruit and retain women in maritime. he pillars include An Australian Government’s strate y

for gender parity in maritime which acknowledges the depth and breadth of work required to repair the imbalance.

A maritime nclusion teerin Group’ comprised of unions and employers to advise government and regulators. dentified positions for omen in training and any employer allocated ‘union’ positions.

25.RESOURCING THE UNION’S EQUITY WORK

With a workforce shortage upon the country, this conference of the members understands that women at sea and on the waterfront are vital to defending our right to work on the Australian coast. Removing the structural barriers to women’s participation will re uire a resourced position to • Develop the strategy pledged in MUA policy oordinate the union’s e uity campai n work on a national scale.

• Deliver on targets via transparent evaluation and reporting. he ational onference resolves that the union see out and secure e ternal sources of funding to support the employment of a full time omen’s uity fficer to further assist the follo in or 1. Identify, research and promote opportunities for the union to act with impact for members and potential members, while growing the number of ran and file omen 2. Design, implement, lead then assess projects to grow the union in respect of issues affecting women in our industry.

3. Manages the administration of the MUA omen’s ommittee and develops the capacity of members in a structured way.

4. Design, deliver and evaluate training programs such as the Safe and Respectful Workplaces course. oordinate conference or buildin on strategic objectives. epresent the A at e ternal forums and with other unions.

7. Assist in coordinating Equity Work to ensure timely dissemination of relevant information to the union’s teams.

26.ADVANCED WORKFORCE PLANNING

Many reasons call for people to temporarily step aside from seagoing roles either voluntarily or due to industry downturn.

Keeping members connected to industry is fundamental to building a resilient labour force and sustain Australia’s capacity to crew vessels at peak demand.

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RESOLUTIONS

The quadrennial conference of the members resolves that • The union will maintain a register of or ers ith maritime ualifications and e perience • This program will allow the union to communicate a list of bridging courses required to gain employment in other fields of maritime or e near coastal stevedoring, port operations.

• Also to encourage and create partnerships with employers to access the pool of available workers.

27. REPRESENTATION

MUA seeks to improve representation and career pathway of women in stevedoring and seafaring roles. The MUA recognises the si nificant contribution omen ma e to the maritime industry and seeks to further encourage involvement, representation and employment of women in our industry via formalised and dedicated career paths for women.

MUA seeks to improve representation and career path ay for irst ations people in stevedoring and seafaring roles he A reco nises the si nificant contribution irst ations people ma e to the maritime industry and seeks to further encourage involvement, representation and employment of irst ations people in our industry via formalised and dedicated career paths for irst ations people ithin industry.

28.MARITIME DECARBONISATION

The Maritime Union of Australia understands the need to decarbonise the maritime industry alongside all other aspects of the economy, through electrification efficiency measures and use of ne rene able ero carbon fuels his process ill have a si nificant impact on the global maritime industry, as the economy has globalised based on the use of a cheap waste product for bunker fuel.

Ships’ bunker fuel is effectively the dregs remainin after oil is refined to produce other fuels, with negative health impacts on crew and port communities. orts Australia say that shippin produces one fifth the carbon emissions of road transport per tonne m missions from transport ma e up of Australian greenhouse gas emissions and have increased since hiftin car o to shipping is an opportunity to reduce transport emissions e rene able fuels can also be manufactured in Australia. e ener y sources for transport also have ne ha ards ydro en is e plosive ammonia is hi hly to ic and lithium ion battery fires burn intensely and release dan erous ases nvestment in electrified

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container handlin e uipment in ports could be used as an e cuse to automate that machinery.

It is positive that the Australian government is developing a Maritime missions eduction ational Action lan with an objective to ‘promote a safe and equitable transition for the maritime sector, particularly for the maritime workforce.’ his lan ill form part of a ransport and nfrastructure et ero oadmap and Action lan t must provide concrete and enforceable measures to ensure a ‘safe and equitable transition’ for the workforce. ational onference calls on the union to 1. Support efforts to decarbonise the maritime industry.

2. Work to ensure the safety of all new energy sources and technologies for the maritime industry, in regulation, training, and on the job.

3. Ensure that new maritime equipment and technologies do not result in a loss of jobs, and that alternate employment with no loss of wages and appropriate training is provided for any displaced workers. ational onference calls on the Australian overnment o support reater use of coastal shipping to reduce emissions from transport. o ensure best practice trainin and safety regulation for all vessels using new fuels and large batteries. urrent omestic ommercial essel ualifications do not provide ade uate training to manage the risks of using ammonia or hydro en or lar e lithium ion batteries as an energy source for vessel propulsion.

7. To ensure that emissions reduction for the maritime industry avoids a perverse outcome that drives transport activity away from shipping to less energy efficient forms of transport or replaces Australian shippin ith forei n fla ships.

8. To provide substantial funding to the Maritime Emissions Reduction ational Action lan undin for any new equipment or technologies must be conditional on no loss of jobs for the e istin or force and the provision of alternate employment with no loss of wages and appropriate training for any displaced workers.

Government fundin and subsidies must be tied to provision of good safe union jobs, including use of the ecure obs ode local procurement minimum requirements for trainees and apprentices, and use of Australian ships and cre for e port vessels

29.MANUFACTURING OF RENEWABLE FUELS Australia has enormous resources for renewable energy generation and battery manufacturing. Australia could become a major global manufacturer and supplier of new renewable fuels (including renewable hydro en and ammonia for ships’ bun ers batteries, lithium and rare earths.

Multiple large facilities to manufacture rene able fuels for e port and domestic use are proposed in ports around the coast of Australia. Renewable fuels can also be used to po er minerals refinin and metals manufacturing in Australia, particularly to manufacture green steel using Australian iron ore. ational onference calls on the union to • Ensure that all new facilities manufacturing decarbonised energy sources (fuels and batteries are covered by union agreements and provide good union jobs. ational onference calls on the Australian Government • To ensure that government funding of projects requires good safe union jobs, includin use of the ecure obs ode local procurement, requirements for trainees and apprentices, and use of Australian ships and cre for e port and coastal vessels. ei e the opportunity of ne rene able fuel manufacturing facilities to rebuild Australian shippin fleets for e ports and domestic shipping. nsure pro ects ali n ith the irst ations lean ner y et or est ractice rinciples for lean ner y ro ects including employment and income opportunities.

• Allocate funding only to genuine renewable energy projects.

30.QUORUM FOR AGMs AND SGMs - CONSOLIDATED

Alteration to effective aggregate quorum percenta e Annual General eetin of members of the Divisions & Special Meeting of members of the Division he uadrennial ational onference of members resolves that The Maritime Union of Australia Division of the onstruction orestry aritime mployees Union, having due regard to legal advice, take the necessary steps to alter the respective parts of Divisional Rule 19 - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF MEMBERS OF THE DIVISION and Divisional Rule 20 - SPECIAL MEETING OF MEMBERS OF THE DIVISION to reduce the effective aggregate percentage of members required to form a quorum at these meetin s from percent to percent of financial members of the ivision www.mua.org.au

31. CASH RETENTION hat e the A ill fi ht to eep cash as a means of transaction for the following reasons ash re uires the consent of t o people for a transaction to take place. It does not require internet access, electricity or permission of a financial institute • It does not permit a third party to take a percentage cut out of the transaction.

• It does not allow the information to be shared by third parties without the two parties permission t allo s us to donate to whoever we please, children grandchildren, buskers, markets, tipping or people who need financial assistance • Without cash every person, organisation and company is at the mercy of the financial corporation that controls their “card.” Already people and companies are deban ed by financial institutions and our government has taken no action. o be at the mercy of a financial institution is to make every person a servant of whoever controls their card. To allow this is to condemn people back to positions of servitude.

We are committed to inform our members and the public of the need to keep cash and oppose the efforts of financial institutions and government to remove cash as legal tender.

32.UNION COMMUNICATION POLICY

That the Maritime Union of Australia determine throu h ational ouncil the approved communication mediums that the Union utilise to carry out the business of the Union. E.g. telephone, email, video conferencin te t and social media Further a review of all subscriptions, licenses and software programs is to be undertaken and after review arranged via national office ith use provided to branches his then is to be updated and confirmed in nion olicy

33.STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION

Offshore oil and gas activity requires offshore titleholders and applicants to understand the complete spectrum of impacted values from their operations environmental cultural and social rior to recent successful appeals by irst ations roups sta eholder consultation as virtually non e istent The 2022 Santos versus Tipakilippa appeal ruling sent a clear message to industry and the regulator how the legislation is to be interpreted, resulting in new guidance from A Authentic consultation on applications is now required to be undertaken as intended. e note that our union has benefited from Tipakilippa decision through a wider www.mua.org.au

definition of ho is a relevant person’ to be consulted and stronger consultation requirements. This has assisted our members by helping the union to identify, demand and create more decommissioning work.

Industry is reeling from the prospect of actually doing the required work to consult relevant persons, such as unions and First ations people intensely pitchin the issue as a ‘broken framework’ and inferring Traditional Owner’s heritage claims are unfounded or fraudulent.

The MUA trusts our workers and the First eoples before any company and ill not be led into fi htin each other Any watering down of the consultation requirement will weaken its very purpose and diminish MUA workforce outcomes.

With the Department of Industry Science and Resources currently seeking input on clarifying consultation requirements, it is critical that the MUA stands in solidarity with irst ations people as they see to protect culture and ountry for all Australians We note that should the consultation requirements be watered down for other stakeholders, this will diminish our members’ rights too.

In keeping with the principles of procedural fairness that the MUA champions, the ational onference resolves that the union ill rotect our ri ht to comprehensive and authentic stakeholder consultation. tand ith irst ations peoples to protect their rights to comprehensive and authentic stakeholder consultation.

• Acknowledge that all stakeholders have the right to appeal decisions by government agencies to protect workers’ rights, the environment and to negotiate outcomes that contribute to closing the ap for irst ations people

34.QUADRENNIAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS

ational ouncil to ensure all uadrennial onference resolutions are implemented via both a permanent ational ouncil a enda item and a review being conducted prior to each ational ouncil meetin and the ational ecutive ensurin resources are provided to ensure implementation of resolutions at the earliest opportunity.

35.HOUSING

ational onference of embers resolve that ational ouncil reco nise the housin crisis and lobby the ederal Government to improve rental affordability. This includes but is not limited to implementing measures to limit rental increases to once per year as as the ma imum

EMERGENCY RESOLUTION: MUA Quadrennial National Conference MUA - MUNZ MARITIME FEDERATION he aritime nion of e ealand and the aritime nion of Australia A have recently held discussions about the futures of our two great unions. The shared bonds of solidarity, cooperation and unity date back to the Seaman’s Union of Australasia.

The Federated Seamen’s Union of Australasia was registered under the ommon ealth’s industrial relations legislation in 1906. Although this union was dere istered in many of its members went on to form the Seamen’s Union of Australasia in 1930, which became the Seamens’ Union of Australia in 1943. From that point there has always been strong ties between the Seamans’ Union of Australia and the eamans’ nion of e ealand he Waterside Worker’s Federation in Australia and the aterside or ers nion in e Zealand always operated with the strongest bonds of international solidarity.

The same approach of cooperation, solidarity and unity has prevailed between the A and throu hout our entire respective histories. he A and already attend each other’s ational ouncil meetin s and or in the stron est unified ay across our oint international trade union affiliations e share our trade union training and have always stood side by side in struggle and campaigning. We have shared our coasts bet een Australian and e ealand seafarers and are increasingly dealing with the same multi national employers ur oint work has become not only desirable but necessary and fundamental to our ongoing success.

An A ederation ould be based on mutual respect and working class solidarity across our shared industries. he A and have identified many areas of ongoing cooperation including joint campai nin on cabota e and rans asman shipping, our shared seagoing trade route. It would enhance ongoing joint campaigning and bargaining across the waterfront with many shared employers in both countries. ur oint irst ations or could be e panded ith closer ties to Abori inal and orres trait slander and ori stru les for justice. We share huge potential in renewable energy work and in offshore oil and gas.

This is alongside broader political, industrial and social work including the climate crisis and the inevitable impact of climate change creatin refu ees in the outh acific and or in buildin solidarity ith acifica ations he A ederation ould enable us to work together more closely and be a more effective voice for maritime workers in both e ealand and Australia

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MUNZ + MUA

Cross-Tasman maritime worker federation to bolster MUA and MUNZ power in Kiwi and Australian ports

A

t the Maritime Union of Australia’s National Conference in Adelaide the MUA and the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) announced a new federation bringing together the two unions in a formal arrangement to build workers’ power at ports throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Speaking at the announcement, National Secretary of the MUA Paddy Crumlin explained that a formal arrangement was the next logical step for the two unions after many decades of closely working together on workplace, safety, geopolitical and industrial challenges facing

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maritime workers in both countries.

“The fraternal bonds that link our two unions are some of the closest, oldest and most durable in the trade union movement, and given we are working in an increasingly globalised workplace and standing up against some of the same bosses, it makes perfect sense to expand and bolster the strength of our Unions through a formalised federation,” Crumlin said.

The Maritime Union of Australia, formed in 1993, is an amalgamation of the old Waterside Workers Federation and the Seamen’s Union of Australia. The MUA, through its predecessor Unions has been an

immovable force on the Australian waterfront and around our coastline for 151 years. Likewise, in 2002, MUNZ was formed through the amalgamation of two unions, coverin harfies and seafarers that trace their histories in New Zealand to the 19th century.

“The history of maritime industries was one of casual labour, injury and death on the job, and ruthless employers who wouldn’t cede an inch to their workers,” said Craig Harrison, the former MUNZ National Secretary.

www.mua.org.au

ABOVE: MUA Presiding Officer Jason Campbell, former MUNZ Secretary Craig Harrison and MUA National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin celebrate the ratification of the MUNZA Federation resolution at the MUA Quadrennial Conference.

LEFT: MUNZ leadership team from May 2024, L to R: National Vice President Gerard Loader, National President Josh Greer, National Assistant Secretary Ray Fife, National Secretary Carl Findlay

ur members had to fi ht for and defend their right to secure, permanent jobs, a decent wage and safe conditions of work. We have stood together to improve the lot of working people and their communities since those early days and we now look towards an even stronger presence on the waterfront and on our ships across the Asia acific throu h this federation ith the MUA,” Harrison said.

The expansion of global network terminal operators and the voracious appetite of big employers like Qube for swallowing up smaller stevedoring operators across New Zealand has made the federation an obvious strategic step for the two unions to take together. The Australian Federal Government’s strate ic shippin fleet commitment ill also deliver si nificant trans Tasman capacity and new training www.mua.org.au

“The fraternal bonds that link our two unions are some of the closest, oldest and most durable in the trade union movement ... it makes perfect sense to expand and bolster the strength of our Unions through a formalised federation” and employment opportunities in both Australian and New Zealand for maritime workers.

“We saw during COVID, where shipping and terminal operators manipulated vital supply chains to e tract ma imum profit from vulnerable countries like Australia and New Zealand that are entirely dependent on global shipping,” said Mr Crumlin. “Now the same cartel forces are organising against Australian and Kiwi communities to use the sheer brute force of capital to take control of our docks. They will jack up landside prices, control schedules and freight lanes, and drive down the working conditions and wages of our members, so the strategic importance of the relationship between the two Unions cannot be overstated,” Crumlin added.

The two Unions, together, represent tens of thousands of

maritime workers. The MUA, a division of the CFMEU, has branches in every state and the Northern Territory while MUNZ has ten branches across both the North and South Islands. The two unions already attend each other’s National Council meetings and work in the stron est unified ay across their shared international trade union affiliations and by sharin trade union training and standing side by side in struggle and campaigning.

Together, the MUA and MUNZ, have collaborated on a number of industrial and political campaigns and established strong fraternal bonds of solidarity between the two Unions. The ‘War on the Wharves’ charity boxing tournament, held each year to raise money for charity is a lon standing expression of this close and important relationship. •

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ITF CONGRESS 2024

ITF Congress 2024

MOVING THE WORLD FORWARD

F

or the first time in the ’s history the Global on ress as held in the Arab orld re ion brin in to ether thousands of transport or ers and trade union leaders the th on ress as held in arra ech orocco durin ctober he conference re elected A ational ecretary addy rumlin as resident and tephen otton as General ecretary ele ates united to push for ard a series of critical motions addressin e uality sustainability and or ers’ ri hts ach motion reinforced the lobal labour movement’s commitment to fi htin for ustice and fairness across the transport sector eryem alouani ho moved the ecutive oard motion uality for ransport or ers’ called on transport or ers to rally behind the cause of e uality declarin ur unity is our stron eapon ariano oreno Ar entina spo e of the devastatin impact of environmental destruction on or ers in the Global outh and avan Gayle amaica delivered a call for immediate action e must act no to build a future here transport serves both people and the planet he on oin ar bet een alestine and srael as addressed ith a po erful call for peace and solidarity resident and ational ecretary of the aritime nion of Australia addy rumlin underscored the ’s lon standin commitment to ustice and peace his is an historic moment in

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the history of the he said e have a lon history of committin to ustice to a t o state solution and to the establishment of a soverei n state of alestine rumlin reaffirmed the federation’s resolve to stand ith or ers on both sides of the conflict emphasisin the need for humanitarian corridors and ur in a unified response from affiliates and the lobal labour movement he motion as carried by an over helmin ma ority sho in the on ress’s commitment to peace and ustice inally dele ates reaffirmed their commitment to defendin transport or ers’ ri hts particularly the

ri ht to stri e smo o o from A inland hi hli hted ho far ri ht forces and conservative overnments are actively underminin or ers’ ri hts across urope n inland the far ri ht came in second place and to ether ith the conservatives they are re ritin our labour la s he said describin ho ne le islation threatens the ri ht to stri e and ea ens social protections he on ress made clear that defendin the ri ht to stri e is critical to the survival of or ers’ ri hts every here reaffirmin the ’s role in leadin this fi ht on the lobal sta e

“The attacks on our rights aren’t going away, but neither are we. We’re dockers.

We’re seafarers. We move the world, and it’s time companies recognise that they can’t exploit us without consequences.”

ITF PRESIDENT PADDY CRUMLIN

www.mua.org.au

Women celebrate 25 years of collective strength in the ITF Women delegates to Congress united to reaffirm their messa e that omen belong: in transport, in unions, in decision-making, and in leadership he on ress celebrated the critical milestone of 25 years since the establishment of the omen Transport Workers’ Committee – a vital moment underscoring the pro ress challen es and rene ed commitment to promote and advance the ri hts of omen transport or ers lobally And as e move for ard to the ne t years and beyond to face ne challen es and build on the stron foundations already built by omen transport or ers omen transport or ers are an incredible force lobally and yet they face systemic e clusion discrimination, violence and lack of respect in the or place and ider community” said Diana Holland, ho has chaired the ommittee since its inception e ly elected chair eryam alouani orocco said e www.mua.org.au

have come a lon ay n the last years omen transport or ers every here committed themselves to chan e to create more space for themselves and for other omen o set e amples of e tra ordinary leadership e or ed hard to be seen and to be en a ed in decision ma in spaces ith employers and overnments but e still have a lon ay to o for our voices to resonate ithin our trade unions hrou h our solidarity and unity e ill be able to achieve reat thin s o or seriously to defend our ri hts and promote the position of omen in decision ma in ich lle yers A Australia ennifer urray nifor anada and Ani a anavi A A o o ere elected ice hairs

Dockers will deliver ITF’s six demands

he si demands bein debated at the nternational ransport or ers’ ederation on ress are the core or and focus of the oc ers’ ection this is the central messa e a reed and

ABOVE: MUA delegation with Rob Ashton, ILWU Canada, and Willie Adams, ILWU, in Marrakech.

delivered by doc ers at the on ress in arra ech he challen es faced by doc ers around the orld mirror the ’s emer in focus on accountability e uality ri hts safety sustainability and the future of or vital interlin in or areas that can help deliver real chan e to the lives and livelihoods of all transport or ers oc ers’ ection hair addy rumlin said t as doc or ers and seafarers ho founded the oc or ers no that e’ve al ays been on the receivin end they use anythin they can to divide us oc ers e pect to have the decency and di nity e deserve for the or e do hether it’s our ri hts our di nity not livin in poverty or not havin to face in ury and death on the ob he ection’s focus on the si demands is often overlapping and

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ITF CONGRESS 2024

includes specific challen es faced by doc ers in automation occupational safety and health and e uality As ith many sections supply chain accountability holdin corporations at the top of supply chains to account for ri hts abuses ithin them is a cross cuttin area of or as the corporate iants of transport and lo istics increasin ly inte rate their supply chains and operations as they buy up various modes of transport And ith their lon trac record of solidarity and stru le every here doc ers are braced for the vital role they ill play over the ne t five years

True ‘Just Transition’ offers hope of change for seafarers avi atin a positive ay for ard for seafarers as at the heart of plans confirmed at the eafarers’ ection conference in arra ech ith the ur ent need for a ust transition fla ed as a catalyst for chan e mprovin seafarers’ conditions is a lon established and successful core a enda of the nternational ransport or ers’ ederation and its affiliated maritime unions and dele ates confirmed it ill

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“We will continue to build a future in which seafarers are recognised, valued, respected, protected.”

ITF SEAFARERS SECTION CHAIR, DAVID HEINDEL

remain central to the ’s or over the ne t five year plan for the eafarers’ ection e ill continue to build a future in hich seafarers are reco nised valued respected protected said eafarers ection hair avid eindel et there be no doubt that the and all its affiliated unions ill al ays stand shoulder to shoulder ith un ustly treated seafarers herever they may be and hatever they may be facin A future concern for seafarer safety the handlin of potentially dan erous ne fuels is already bein addressed by the in collaboration ith industry and international or anisation partners a mutually beneficial collaboration only enhanced throu h oint or durin the pandemic As it al ays has the eafarers’ ection a reed in arra ech that it must continue to ensure that its strate y for chan e to spans advocacy on re ulation holdin states and shipo ners to account and buildin a areness amon seafarers of their ri hts otions passed at the

onference include a commitment for the ection to build a ne comprehensive strate y to support and safe uard raine’s seafarers and rail ay or ers includin prioritisin them in the pilot for trainin under the aritime ust ransition as force he adoption of the motion introduced by le Gry oriu of the aritime ransport or ers’ rade nion of raine as follo ed by a rousin standin ovation he onference also elcomed the Australian Government’s commitment to establish an Australian trate ic leet’ hich ill help rebuild an Australian fla ed and cre ed merchant fleet hich in turn e pands the maritime departments’ or on defendin national shippin and cabota e e had a conservative overnment hich decimated our industry but e or ed to chan e that overnment and that ne overnment has chan ed the rules in our country to brin about an Australian trate ic leet the A’s Assistant ational ecretary ich www.mua.org.au

lle yers told the on ress ut e cannot stop e cannot rest and e cannot aste a moment until e ensure the Australian strate ic fleet is in place and is bedded in for the lon term around our country yers e plained

‘Marrakech Policy’ sets new bar for maritime workers he arra ech olicy’ adopted at the nternational ransport or ers’ ederation’s oint eafarers’ and oc ers’ onference no forms the overnin frame or for the lobal union’s campai nin or on la s of onvenience he policy is the culmination of five years’ or by union representatives from maritime affiliates to e amine plan and develop a ne strate y in line ith the shiftin reality faced by seafarers since hen the precedin e ico ity olicy as adopted at the ’s nd on ress in e ico ity he arra ech olicy sets out the minimum conditions the and its affiliated unions ill accept on merchant ships incorporatin the ne www.mua.org.au

understandin of the critical importance of lobal supply chains that emer ed out of the ovid pandemic as ell as the central role for shippin and seafarers in combattin climate chan e throu h a ust transition he arra ech olicy ill no form the baseline for the ’s ollective ar ainin A reements A hich set the a es and or in conditions for cre s on vessels irrespective of nationality oc ers’ ection hair and o hair of the ’s air ractices ommittee addy rumlin emphasised the importance of this or doc ers the inclusion of the on eafarers’ or lause in the As isn’t ust about ob security it’s about safety both for doc ers and for seafarers he said ompanies are tryin to cut

From L to R: MUA Assistant National Secretary Mich-Elle Myers introduces the Australian Strategic Fleet to ITF Congress, MUA’s Riley Chapman-Politis addresses Young Workers session, ITF’s global Flag of Convenience campaign team standing together against exploitation

corners ma in seafarers do lashin puttin them at serious ris e’ve fou ht a ainst this before and e’ll continue to fi ht a ainst any shipo ner ho puts seafarers’ lives in dan er he attac s on our ri hts aren’t oin a ay but neither are e said rumlin e’re doc ers e’re seafarers e move the orld and it’s time companies reco nise that they can’t e ploit us ithout conse uences hether it’s fi htin abandonment or defendin doc ers’ obs e stand united

“... we cannot waste a moment until we ensure the Australian strategic fleet is in place and is bedded in for the long term around our country.”

MUA’S ASSISTANT NATIONAL SECRETARY, MICH-ELLE MYERS

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