Issue 3 • August 2003 Magazine of the Maritime Union of New Zealand ISSN 1176-3418 Port Roundup Delegate training races ahead Mainland get the message from Bluff Ted Thompson: the passing of a ‘giant of the waterfront’ Women’s Conference: the changing face of the Union Holidays for casuals Interport 2004 Union Clothing Port Security Fighting for NZ Shipping On the road with the cabotage campaign Maritime Union making an impact throughout New Zealand by Trevor Hanson The group brainstormed their own Port security General Secretary posters, they asked me to write to all The changes to port security are politicians, and they put together Our recent June joint council meet- now well under way. information packs and sent them to all ing went very successfully and we The Maritime Union was repre- politicians. are set on course for our first confer- sented at the first national port At the time of writing the Cabotage ence on 21 – 23 October. security consultative committee by campaign group have met with every It is proposed that both of our myself. politician in the country. organizations will completely merge The first local port committee The good part about it is they have on October 1. meeting was held in Gisborne, which involved branches right around the This will mean the start up of two Dein Ferris and I attended. country as well. new Seafarer branches, one in It appears that as the Government Some of the receptions they got are Auckland and the other in Wellington. puts the new law into place, the a story on their own – I hope Rachel, At the same time the National national committee will devolve to Joe or some of the committee find time office will join together all resources Port level committees. to put them in writing for this edition, and finances. At both the Wellington and after the amount of work (mostly If the past 12 months are a indica- Gisborne meetings we made it clear voluntary) put in by them. tion of the future then I am sure that that we are not accepting any form of I hope that the assurances of help our marriage will be a success. vetting of our members unless it is on from many the politicians bears fruit. a national basis. Union elections The recognition by the Govern- We also made it quite clear we ment that vessels using our members Nominations for national positions want a national register of Waterfront should carry coastal cargo would be are opening on Monday August 18 workers and Seafarers. tremendous not only to seafarers and and close on Friday October 10, and All ports will have these local wharfies, but New Zealand as whole. elections will take place after confer- meetings soon, and we should be The overall picture of the industry ence. represented at all of these meetings. is one of change as the big boys It is particularly important that we Cabotage campaign continue to try and out-manoeuvre are there putting the case for our each other for market share, all with I have been particularly impressed membership. with the amount of work put into the the ambition of being topdog. cabotage campaign by a group of It doesn’t work, and plays hell with Health & Safety Delegates workforces along the way. young Wellington Seafarers. It appears we are well ahead of As a union we will continue to The campaign came together others in delegate training for Health combat such attacks. quickly from the seed of an idea to and Safety. From our new position I am sure what is now a major national cam- Remember it is a tool we have been we will do so from a position of much paign. given, so let’s use it and stop some of greater strength. the bad practises that have developed over the past decade. We have featured an article in this Maritimes which covers the training Contact the Maritime Union seminars which have been going on around the ports. National Office Joint National President: Les Wells Telephone: 04 3850 792 Mobile: 0274 329 620 We have just produced and sent to Fax: 04 3848 766 Email: [email protected] all ports a small handbook for water- Address: PO Box 27004, Wellington front delegates, in some ports it is Email: [email protected] ITF Inspectorate: Kathy Whelan already being used and from all Mobile: 021 666 405 reports it has been a success. General Secretary: Trevor Hanson Email: [email protected] Mobile: 0274 453 532 Email: [email protected] The Maritime Union of New Zealand Joint National President: is affiliated to the Front cover picture: Dave Morgan International The Cabotage campaign hits Wellington with Mobile: 021 441 013 Transport Workers’ officials and rank and file members canvassing Email: [email protected] Federation. the public in Cuba Street, Friday 18 July, 2003. (Photo by Andy Ball) 2 A dangerous time ‘The Maritimes’ Edition 3, August 2003 for New Zealand Contents Trevor Hanson Report ............... 2 workers Dave Morgan Report ................. 3 News ................................... 4 by Dave Morgan follow us. ITF Report............................. 8 Joint National President We must continue to campaign Holidays for casuals campaign ..... 9 without favour to win our argument Vale Ted Thompson .................. 10 We have seen it all before, midway for cabotage. Vale Tas Bull .......................... 11 through the second term of a centre This Government is more centre left Government the middle class than centre left and we need to Merchant Navy memorial ........... 11 strikes begin. continually remind them of what is Delegates Training ................... 12 It is a dangerous time for workers necessary for their own transport Women’s Conference ................ 14 as it begins a process that shapes the strategy to succeed. future Government in New Zealand. Cabotage Campaign Special ........ 16 We need to ensure also that we do Bluff picket news .................... 18 This must not fool the Maritime what we can to organize in our International news .................. 19 Union and its members, right now the industry and communities for the re- Farmers are leading the push, but we election of a centre left Government. Port Roundups ........................ 20 should remember the Government is Clothing ............................... 28 closer to us and our people than the International Ports and Shipping Interport 2004 update .............. 28 Federated Farmers will ever be. Security Code I do not know enough about the Health and Safety update .......... 29 This matter is moving ahead and Kyoto protocol on the environment to Webwatch ............................. 30 the union has been in attendance at add much except to say there is a Letters................................. 31 national and local port meetings held proposed minimal levy being put on over the past month. Union Contacts ....................... 31 farmers to fund a study on how we to Security assessments have been The Back Page ........................ 32 deal with the large environmental programmed for New Plymouth, problem of farm industry emissions. Wellington and Tauranga initially with The levy proposed is in the end to ‘The Maritimes’ is the official national others to follow. magazine of the Maritime Union of New benefit the farming industry. These assessments are to be done Zealand, published quarterly. Federated Farmers have always by an Australian company Global opposed any development in our Village Strategies and they will ISSN 1176-3418 industry albeit that they hardly ever consult widely within the ports. had any direct business with New The union is represented on the National Office: Zealand shipping. National Committee. PO Box 27004 Business New Zealand, Federated We have been successful in getting Wellington Farmers, and the Manufacturers the Union’s claim on the table for a New Zealand Federation are all opposed to even a national vetting process deeming our Telephone 04 3850 792 minimal adjustment to the cabotage existing members secure. Fax 04 3848 766 regime and consequentially the The other goal put forward is for a Email: [email protected] development of a New Zealand Web: www.munz.org.nz national register of seafarers and shipping industry that may have a wharfies with security clearance to be priority claim to work around the Edited and designed by Victor Billot held by the Maritime Safety Authority. New Zealand coast. Email: [email protected] The Union has insisted that we be They all oppose anything that may represented on the local Port Commit- cost them and interfere with their Editorial Board: tees also and have, to date, gained this divine right to do exactly what they Trevor Hanson and Dave Morgan representation. want to do and let someone else clean It requires constant vigilance as Thanks to the photographers including up and pay for the consequences of there is a great deal of employer Harry Holland, Rachael Goddard, Bob their actions. resistance to our claims for a register. Thorpe, Bob Stephenson, Phil We do not need to become apolo- There is yet to be debate on the Spanswick, Joe Fleetwood, Kathy gists for the Labour led Government matter but logic is surely on our side Whelan, Dave Lark, Trevor Hanson, but we do need to maintain a clear in the argument. Todd Valster (RMTU) and others working class political perspective on In the meantime the ILO has now unnamed. Thanks to the MUA, the issues that unfold around us and resolved on the matter of seafarer ITF and ILWU for know what is best for our class. identity cards and these will be material, and Andy We are a group of workers orga- developed by the national states in Ball and Julie nized into a Union for mutual benefit accordance with international criteria.