Maritime Union of New Zealand

Free trade dairy debacle with USA was inevitable

May 26, 2009

Reproduced with thanks to Mike Moreu

The Maritime Union of New Zealand says the collapse of free trade in dairy products going into the United States was predictable and inevitable.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says New Zealand has been naive in allowing free trade ideology to replace common sense and had been “led by the nose” by a self-interested sector of business in New Zealand who put their own interests first.

He says that nations such as the United States would support free trade as long as it served their interests, then would abandon it when it no longer suited them, which is what had now happened.

Removal of Ports of Auckland chairman is a positive move

May 25, 2009

The Maritime Union says the removal of Ports of Auckland chairman Gary Judd last week is for the best.

Maritime Union Local 13 President Denis Carlisle says the removal of Ports of Auckland chairman Gary Judd by Auckland Regional Holdings could lead to a more positive atmosphere.

He says the Union has been concerned about the approach of Mr Judd and his level of commitment to the Ports of Auckland as a public asset owned by the people of Auckland.

Work stoppage announced for Ports of Auckland

May 22, 2009

Workers at the Ports of Auckland have issued a strike notice in order to hold a stop work meeting between 12 noon and 4.30pm on Friday 5 June 2009 to discuss employment issues.

The Maritime Union of New Zealand announced the stoppage after mediation with port company management about new work conditions for union members to avoid redundancies took place on Thursday 21 May.

Maritime Union of New Zealand Local 13 President Denis Carlisle says the stopwork meeting will bring together workers at the Port to discuss ongoing negotiations around their expired collective employment agreement, which had been impacted by a management plan to slash jobs.

Campaign website launched for Ports of Auckland workers

May 21, 2009

Check out the new campaign website for all Ports of Auckland workers and supporters.

Maritime Union prepares to defend Auckland jobs

May 13, 2009

The Maritime Union says a plan to make Ports of Auckland workers redundant will be met with a strong response.

A national executive meeting of the Maritime Union held in Wellington today endorsed national action in support of the workers whose jobs are threatened at Ports of Auckland.

Representatives of the Auckland workers addressed the national meeting which unanimously endorsed industrial and legal strategies to fight job losses.

Maritime Union to fight Ports of Auckland redundancies

May 12, 2009

The Maritime Union says it will fight a decision to sack workers at the Ports of Auckland.

Ports of Auckland management today announced they are effectively shutting down the permanent workforce at the Bledisloe Terminal at the Ports of Auckland with the loss of 28 jobs.

Maritime Union of New Zealand Local 13 President Denis Carlisle says the Union is looking at all the options to save jobs.

Temporary workers plan a recipe for disaster

June 17, 2008

The Maritime Union of New Zealand has attacked plans by employers to bring in migrant labour into the seafood industry after mass layoffs in the same sector.

A week after Sealord confirmed it would axe 323 jobs from its Nelson mussel factory, two South Island seafood companies Talleys and Aotearoa Seafood have applied to import 100 migrant labourers.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says that the use of temporary labour being imported from overseas threatens local employment.

Maritime Union comes to aid of Russian crew in Ports of Auckland

June 18, 2008

The Maritime Union is taking action to recover the unpaid wages of a Russian crew aboard an arrested ship in the Ports of Auckland.

Maritime Union Local 13 President Denis Carlisle says the Union has been assisting the crew aboard the ‘Southern Pearl’ and is now representing the crew members.