Category: Maritime Union of New Zealand

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New Zealand wharfies join international day of action against Qube Ports

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

New Zealand maritime workers will be rallying in support of Australian workers at Qube Ports on Monday 16 December 2024.

Australian wharfies at Qube are stopping work at ten ports in an International Day of Action to expose Qube Ports’ refusal to take safety, fatigue and work-life balance concerns seriously during bargaining for a new employment agreement covering more than 1000 workers.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says New Zealand wharfies will be supporting the Maritime Union of Australia in their struggle, with delegates heading across the Tasman in both directions, an international video link, and protest events to be held in two New Zealand ports.

TAURANGA informational picket Monday 16 December (1pm–3pm)
Hull Road, Mt. Maunganui (Port gates)

GISBORNE informational picket Monday 16 December (Morning)
Corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Hirini Street

Maritime Union of Australia delegates and MUNZ officials will be attending these pickets and available to talk to media.

Mr Findlay says Qube management need to be aware their actions in Australia will have consequences for their brand and credibility internationally unless they change their attitude towards their workforce.

He says the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) will be “acting as one.”

Qube Ports in Australia is an ASX listed behemoth which has extracted mega-profits in recent years from the productivity delivered by their hard working employees, and has doggedly refused to sit down and negotiate a new agreement with their workforce. 

The MUA says Qube has repeatedly dismissed safety and fatigue concerns and declared it unprofitable to operate a business which takes safety seriously. 

While wharfies’ pay has gone backwards against inflation, executive bonuses and shareholder dividends have soared. Over the last four years, Qube profits have jumped by 148%.

The MUA has repeatedly called on the company to return to the bargaining table and engage meaningfully with the safety, fatigue and work-life balance concerns that Qube employees are raising.

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Reappointment of Tony Gibson to maritime industry board role a travesty

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union says the reappointment of disgraced former Ports of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson to a director position at Marsden Maritime Holdings (MMH) is a travesty and an insult to the memory of workers killed and injured on the job.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says workers are in disbelief at the absolute lack of judgement shown by MMH.

Mr Gibson was found guilty in November 2024 of a health and safety charge stemming from his former role as CEO of Port of Auckland Limited.

Maritime NZ laid charges against Mr Gibson under the Health and Safety at Work Act after the death of a stevedore, Pala’amo Kalati, in 2020.

Marsden Maritime Holdings is a New Zealand Exchange-listed (NZX) company, which has a 50% stake in Northport, a marina, and significant industrial land holdings.

Mr Findlay says the news shocked workers who lived through the Gibson years at Port of Auckland, which saw deaths and serious injuries, sustained attacks on the workforce, and a failed automation project that cost Aucklanders hundreds of millions of dollars before Mr Gibson’s resignation.

Mr Findlay says there is a culture of impunity for directors and senior managers.

“What more does it take for a public company to say time to go?”

Mr Findlay says it’s a case of “jobs for the boys” and a glaring example of the double standard applied, as workers would be sacked for far less serious offences and find it hard to get back into work.

“The corporate elite need to get the message that the working-class majority are getting sick and tired of seeing this entitled self-serving attitude.”

He says the Maritime Union congratulates Port of Auckland, a minority shareholder in MMH, for its principled decision voting against Mr Gibson’s reappointment.

Mr Findlay says the stance of the New Zealand Shareholders Association who directed proxy votes against the reappointment was also a responsible course of action.

He says MMH CEO Rosie Mercer should retract her praise of Mr Gibson.

“Let’s be absolutely clear – there are families who will be missing someone this Christmas because of avoidable workplace deaths. Marsden Maritime Holdings should be ashamed at this insult to the memories of workers who lost their lives.”

He says the Maritime Union would be following the issue up with Northland Regional Council and would be seeking the removal of Mr Gibson from the MMH Board.

The Maritime Union would continue to campaign for corporate manslaughter laws.

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Government ferry announcement fails to launch

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Union representing Cook Strait ferry workers has expressed amazement at the Government’s announcement today on the Cook Strait ferries.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says the Government has just kicked the can down the road on hard decisions once again.

“The only real announcement today was Nicola Willis announcing she will soon be sacked from the Finance portfolio.”

The appointment of Winston Peters as Minister for Rail and the setting up of a Schedule 4 entity to procure ferries were widely expected, he says.

He says no costs were provided by the Finance Minister and the Government was using commercial confidentiality as a fig leaf to conceal how its decisions had led New Zealand into a very expensive dead end.

Mr Findlay says the Finance Minister’s claims that her ferry deal would be cheaper than the iRex project had no credibility.

“How can she make such bold assurances when she hasn’t got a deal or even a confirmed plan?”

He says the only clear information available was that the ferries would be smaller and less capable, with no information about port side infrastructure.

The suggestion of private operators being involved created more confusion, he says.

“What New Zealand wanted today was certainty and a path forward, and what we got was an admission of failure from the Minister of Finance.”

Mr Findlay says the appointment of Winston Peters as Minister of Rail was an interesting situation, as Mr Peters understood the New Zealand rail network requires rail enabled ferries, unlike the Minister of Finance.

He says there is still an opportunity for New Zealanders to insist the Government procure fit for purpose rail enabled ferries.

“In the meantime, the future of this essential infrastructure hangs in the balance.”

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New Port Code could save lives on the waterfront

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union of New Zealand says the new Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) for loading and unloading cargo at ports and on ships could save lives and prevent serious harm on the waterfront.

The ACOP was launched this morning at Port of Auckland as the result of work by the Port Health and Safety Leadership Group made up of port unions, ports and stevedoring companies, the Port Industry Association, and regulator Maritime NZ.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says the Union has been campaigning for a national industry code of practice for years.

He says the ACOP provides clear guidelines to ensure the safety and health of workers involved in loading and unloading cargo at ports. 

“There has been a terrible history of death and injuries over the years in New Zealand ports, and the ACOP will play a major role in prioritizing the health and safety of port workers.”

Mr Findlay says including the workers on the job perspective has been an essential part of developing the ACOP.

He says the task now is to ensure the ACOP is adhered to by employers and understood by port workers.

“The key is making sure the ACOP is having an impact on the day to day practices at ports where Unions are the worker’s voice on the job.”

Mr Findlay says there has been further progress in the industry with the development of fatigue risk management systems and the extension of Maritime NZ’s designation to cover the entire port.

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Maritime Union welcomes conviction of ex Port of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union of New Zealand has welcomed the conviction of former Ports of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson on a health and safety charge.

Mr Gibson was found guilty by Judge Bonnar in the Auckland District Court this morning.

Charges were laid against Mr Gibson by industry regulator Maritime New Zealand under the Health and Safety at Work Act (2015) following the death of POAL employee Mr Pala’amo (Amo) Kalati on 30 August 2020.

The Court found Mr Gibson failed to ensure adequate systems were in place to manage critical risks, particularly around crane operations and exclusion zones.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says the conviction brings to an end “an era of failure at the highest levels of Port of Auckland which had tragic outcomes for workers, their families and their colleagues.”

Mr Findlay says the Maritime Union made repeated attempts to draw attention to health and safety concerns at POAL during Mr Gibson’s tenure, which were minimized and downplayed.

“This conviction vindicates the stance of our Union but it sadly comes too late for those who died due to the failure to ensure a safe workplace.”

He says thoughts today should go out to the families and those left behind after deaths on the waterfront.

“Today’s outcome sends a message that workers lives mean something, and that highly paid decision makers are accountable for their decisions.” 

“We hope other senior managers and Board members reflect and gain insight into the effect on innocent working people when health and safety is not prioritized.”

He says new management at the Ports of Auckland have taken a positive approach to engaging with workers and the Union, and this has resulted in health and safety and the wellbeing of workers at the Port becoming a priority.

“Following the ignominious resignation and departure of Mr Gibson in 2021, the Maritime Union has worked together successfully with new management at POAL and stevedoring companies in Auckland to develop a code of practice to ensure best safety practices in stevedoring.”

The Maritime Union would continue to campaign for corporate manslaughter laws that reflected its view – “Kill a worker, go to jail.”

This is the first time a chief executive from a company of POAL’s size had been charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

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International eyes on Cook Strait Ferry fiasco

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Ferry Taskforce is backing the call for the new Interislander ferries to be publicly-owned and rail-enabled.

ITF Ferry Taskforce Chair Ronny Øksnes is in New Zealand to attend the Maritime Union of New Zealand national conference in Wellington.

Mr Øksnes says any decision to privatise the service or take rail from the Cook Strait would endanger Aotearoa’s economic and climate future. 

“We have seen the impact of privatisation of this kind of lifeline service elsewhere in the world and it has inevitably come at great cost to freight customers and to the public.

“Just as significant is the threat that this would pose to rail in Aotearoa New Zealand. Rail produces 70% fewer emissions than road freight and losing that would make it harder to meet international climate obligations.

“There’s also the added cost and risk to any export company that uses rail as part of its domestic supply chain, as the total carbon content of imported goods is becoming more and more important to international consumers.

“The rest of the world is taking carbon out of their supply chains, so putting more in would be a backward step for Aotearoa New Zealand’s exporters.

ITF Maritime Policy Adviser Sadie Saunders, also in New Zealand this week, says “We understand the New Zealand government is concerned about cost, however transport infrastructure is a long term investment that ensures good jobs and efficient supply chains. These are projects that should be measured across decades and in the context of the whole economy.

“This is why we are supporting our Aotearoa New Zealand affiliate members’ calls for new ferries to be publicly owned and rail enabled.”

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is a democratic, affiliate-led federation recognised as the world’s leading transport authority. It represents, and is democratically guided by, 16.5 million transport workers internationally.

 

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New Zealanders want publicly-owned rail ferries!

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

New polling released on 15 October by the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) shows the public wants publicly owned, rail enabled ferries.

The poll was conducted by Talbot Mills over the period of 2-14 October and asked:

New ferry options

As you may be aware, in relation to the Cook Strait ferries, “rail-enabled” means freight carriages can roll onto and off of the ferry directly rather than requiring unloading and reloading onto trucks as additional handling steps on each side of Cook Strait. The efficiency gains of being “rail enabled” is thought to add 10-20% to the overall cost to the ferries/infrastructure. The government is now considering three possible options for new ferries. Which of the following options is closest to the one you would support? 

Results showed a clear public preference:

Maritime Union spokesperson Victor Billot says “This shows that New Zealanders can see the terrible mistake the Minister has made in cancelling the new rail ferries and that is only going to get more obvious as the massive costs of this fiasco, like the cancellation fee of up to a half a billion dollars, come to light.

“Rail enabled and publicly owned ferries are vital to New Zealand’s domestic freight. No rail ferries would likely mean no viable rail system, and privatising would be like putting a toll booth on the strait and sending the revenue overseas.

“Unions want rail-enabled ferries, so do logistics companies including Mainfreight, New Zealand First has just said they want them, and now it’s clear the people of New Zealand want them too. The question is why is the Finance Minister so intent on forcing New Zealanders into a bad deal that nobody wants?”

Road-bridging – the practice of taking containers from trains and transporting them onto non-rail ferries adds up to $200 per container cost and takes up to three hours more per sailing. Industry experts have noted this additional cost would price rail out of the north/south freight market.

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Victory for Lyttelton Port Workers against unlawful health monitoring

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) has welcomed this week’s decision by the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) which has ruled against Lyttelton Port Company’s (LPC) attempt to unilaterally impose a mandatory health monitoring policy on MUNZ members. 

MUNZ Assistant National Secretary Ray Fife says the outcome is a major win for the rights and well-being of port workers, ensuring that health monitoring procedures must be subject to collective bargaining and cannot be forced without agreement.

The dispute arose after LPC introduced a mandatory health monitoring policy in July 2024, covering aspects such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mobility, alongside hearing, sight, and respiratory testing. 

MUNZ says the policy went beyond the scope of the collective agreement between LPC and the union.

This week’s decision by the ERA has confirmed the Health Monitoring Policy was inconsistent with the Collective Employment Agreement and therefore unlawful.

The decision reaffirms that LPC cannot expand health testing requirements beyond those agreed upon without the union’s consent, says Mr Fife.

“This determination by the ERA reinforces the importance of collective bargaining in protecting workers’ rights.”

Mr Fife says MUNZ has ensured any changes affecting workers’ health and privacy must be done through negotiation.

He says the ERA ruling highlights the need for employers to act in good faith and respect the agreements they have signed with workers. 

MUNZ remains committed to ensuring that any future health and safety measures at Lyttelton Port are implemented with full consultation and agreement.

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Connemara failure highlights urgent need to address ferry fiasco

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The power loss of the Bluebridge ferry Connemara in the Cook Strait last night highlights the importance of a resilient publicly-owned interisland ferry service, says the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ).

MUNZ National Secretary Carl Findlay says this issue with the Bluebridge service alongside other previous issues demonstrates the need for high-quality and fit for purpose ferries on the strait. 

“Once again it’s just been a matter of the quick thinking of a highly skilled crew and good luck with the conditions that there has been a safe recovery of the vessel and people aboard.

“We can’t keep relying on luck.

“Cook Strait is the most critical route for New Zealand’s freight transport system and it needs to be resilient. That means public owned and rail enabled ferries that are reliable, safe, and fit for purpose.

“It’s worth noting that the Connemara is much newer than the ships run by Kiwirail and was built by the provider rumoured to be the Government’s frontrunner for new interislander ferries, StenaLine.

“Just last month the shareholding Minister, Nicola Willis, was in Parliament touting the benefits of private ferries. This shows once again how wrong-headed that statement and her decision to cancel the iRex project was.

“It’s getting close to a year without a decision or even the final negotiation of the iReX cancellation that is likely to cost us hundreds of millions of dollars.

“The government needs to swallow its pride and go back to Hyundai to negotiate the iReX deal.

“It’ll cost us more now because of this government’s rash decision to cancel the original deal but nowhere near as much as how much a failed ferry system will cost our freight customers, our economy, and the safety of our crews and passengers.”

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Manahau crew being denied access to representation

Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Manahau barge grounding at Westport could have led to a disaster, but crew are being prevented from talking to Union representatives. 

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says there are serious questions emerging about the incident.

He says the grounding of the Manahau could have resulted in the loss of life and the loss of the ship if the vessel had come ashore elsewhere on the West Coast.

It was proving very difficult to talk to the Indonesian and Myanmar crew on the Manahau, and the Union was taking legal action, says Mr Findlay.

“Our representatives were blocked from visiting the Manahau by port security acting on the instructions of operator WMS and the company continues to try and prevent crew from accessing representation and support.”

Yesterday evening a Union lawyer and officials had a pre-arranged meeting with crew and the meeting was interrupted by a company representative who drove off with crew members.

“We are extremely concerned about the attitude of WMS, the company who operates the Manahau, and its approach to the rights of crew and legitimate public interest in this debacle.”

Mr Findlay says it appears the situation is being controlled by the private company responsible for the problem in the first place, and authorities needed to step up and assert themselves.

The Maritime Union is affiliated to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) representing over 1 million seafarers in more than 200 seafarers’ unions across 106 countries.

Maritime Union officials are empowered to act as ITF inspectors aboard ships.

“Crew members should have independent support and advice, as the company that put them on this vessel can’t be trusted to do the right thing.”

Mr Findlay says information about the seaworthiness of the Manahau has been forwarded to the Union by several experienced maritime professionals who have had interactions with WMS.

“Some key concerns expressed were the Manahau was underpowered for the rugged West Coast maritime environment, and more suitable for shallow river work.”

Another concern was that a well-informed New Zealand crew with local knowledge and nautical information would not have anchored in Buller Bay during the forecast bad weather.

The 97.53-metre and 3706-GT self-powered barge Manahau had only just come into service in August 2024 carrying mineral sands out of shallow draught port Westport.

Mr Findlay says the Manahau had a foreign crew and the flag state was Niue, despite being supported by coastal shipping funding from the Government. 

He says the Maritime Union supports funding for New Zealand coastal vessels, but in this case taxpayer money had gone towards what appeared to be an inappropriate vessel employing an overseas crew that was not even flagged to New Zealand.

“There were undertakings made by the Government and the company that seafarer jobs would be created, and what we see instead is a cynical exploitation of loopholes and shortcuts.”

“New Zealand needs to build its coastal shipping capacity, and that means New Zealand owned, operated and crewed ships operating at accepted and high quality standards.”

Mr Findlay noted the tragic loss of the collier Kaitawa in May 1966, which sailed out of Westport and travelled up the west coast with coal bound for Portland cement works in Whangarei via the North Cape.

The Kaitawa encountered heavy seas off Cape Reinga and foundered on the Pandora Bank in heavy seas, and sank with loss of all 29 crew.

“The Maritime Union do not want to see a similar situation and we say the Manahau should be removed from service pending full investigation into its suitability.”