Port of call

Kim Kirkwood

Team Player

DEVONPORT: Kim Kirkwood, MUA member and TT Line steward aboard the Spirit of Tasmania III has won the 2005 Customer Service Champion award at the 'International Customer Service Professionals' dinner held in Melbourne in October.

Kim is a union member who describes herself as a team player. The Devonport seafarer is as passionate about working together with her crewmates as she is about caring for passengers on board the Spirit.

"Working in a team environment brings me pleasure. I love interacting with crewmembers and the team camaraderie. I always set out to boost the morale of my co-workers. Working together we can achieve great results. That holds true of unions, too."

Kim remembers the union rep inviting her to join the union when she first started with the ship two years ago. "We've got good conditions and pay and the union has been really good getting so many casuals permanent jobs. I really feel I'm moving up the line."

It's MUA members like Kim who are making the ship a pleasure to sail on. Results from a customer survey on the Sydney/Devonport service showed a 97 per cent satisfaction rate with the staff efficiency and 99 per cent for friendliness.

In her job Kim goes beyond the call of duty, whether it's tending to seasick passengers and taking them cups of tea and biscuits, childminding for ill mums and dads until they feel better, taking homesick crew members into her home or politely refusing drinks to customers who have had a few too many. And the letters of praise from customers keep coming. One elderly man wrote he was brought to tears when Kim personally cared for his terminally ill wife on board.

Forgotten Outpost

KING ISLAND: Well known for its cheese and beef, it is not so well known that King Island is a very important and functional part of Tasmanian shipping and the Maritime Union, writes Mick Wickham, Tasmanian Branch Secretary.

The island is serviced once weekly (Sunday) by Patrick Shipping (Mersey), a vital cog in produce transport.

The Tasmanian branch of the MUA covers two worksites on the island - Patrick Shipping Stevedores, King Island Ports (part of Hobart Ports) maintenance/trade and administration.

Patrick has five GWE's and three Supps, who in the main have been part of our union for up to 10 years. As is the norm on King most of our members have either a property or two, work in other casual employment, or are in some form self employed. The members are well represented by their long term delegate, farmer Andrew Morrison, who is in regular contact with the Branch on a range of issues. I hope to have Andrew on a delegates course this year, something he has never done in 10 years as delegate. The crew work a rotational roster of three days a week R&D, and then all work on Sunday ship day. They were represented at the recent EA discussions in Melbourne by Andrew, who also attended our Branch office opening.

KIPC has been a new area very, very recently covered by the union after a number of unsuccessful visits in the past, and I am extremely happy to now be able to represent this workforce.

There are six maintenance/trade employees on site, five permanents and one fulltime/perm. casual, and two administration members (out of three). We have undertaken this year the first EA for the Port. This should make national industrial officer Comrade Bill Giddins happy. He has been at me for some considerable time about this. Given the terms and conditions of this group, it is long overdue, with wages well below par for everyone. I have been able to achieve an 18 per cent pay increase some months ago for the operational crew, and now we have just finalised an in principle agreement that includes another 10 per cent over three years. For administration we have achieved a possible 28 per cent increase over three years, once the Company recover from the heart attack and formally accept the claim, hopefully.

The branch visits the island 2-3 times per year if possible (depending on someone paying) to catch up with members and this I believe is well appreciated. One thing about infrequent visits is that everyone goes out of their way to be available and we normally have dinner together and a few beers and a great chance to chat. This has all in all created a great atmosphere on King Island.

Maybe an outpost, but not forgotten with 100 per cent membership, an excellent crew in both sites, and a great asset to our organisation. Well done King Island.

Old Tigers

SYDNEY: MUA veterans got together at the Balmain Tigers Club in December for the annual veteran's end of year party held in the port. Similar get-togethers were held in other ports.

Merchant Navy Memorial

NORAH HEAD: Around 200 people attended the Merchant Navy Memorial, organised by the Nimbin Memorial Committee, in December, Life Member Pete Rumble, writes. Jill Hall MP was Master of Ceremonies and Cr Bob Graham, Wyong Shire Council Mayor, welcomed guests with a special thanks to Don Burchell and Mick Harris, survivors of the S.S. Iron Chieftain sinking in 1942.

Mr Peter Morris, former Federal Minister for Transport, chair of Newcastle Merchant Navy Memorial Committee and President of the Newcastle Maritime Museum Society Inc., was guest speaker.

The moving ceremony was highlighted by the playing of The Last Post by bugler Lyndal Bailey from Gorokan High School, and a one minute silent salute as we remembered those who gave their lives for their country.

Multiple tributes were placed on the memorial, the wreath from the Maritime Union of Australia placed by life member Seamus O'Reilly (see photo).