ShipShape
Global Wage
The International Transport Workers' Federation has brokered
a new wage deal with leading shipping operators.
The new crew agreement negotiated between the ITF and the International
Maritime Employers' Committee will impact on no less than 50,000 seafarers employed
in world shipping.
MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin was one of the key negotiators
of the settlement:
"This is serious stuff," he said. "The ITF agreement
covers up to 6,000 ships. We've never done collective bargaining on this scale."
Under the agreement in place from January 2004 -- ships will
get a 'green certificate' and will be subject to less ITF inspections. Unions
will only take industrial action on these ships as a last resort after a dispute
resolution procedure is set in place.
The agreement struck between the ITF and the joint negotiating
Group in San Francisco in November also includes a clause which commits shipowners
to use port labour for stevedoring and cargo handling or other work normally
done in port by dockworkers.
The Joint Negotiating Group is an umbrella body for the International
Maritime Employers' Committee and the Japanese shipowner grouping IMMAJ.
Ships coming under the agreement include those of oil majors
Exxon, Shell and Chevron as well as P&O, V Ships, Columbia and most Japanese
vessels.
Instead of one benchmark salary the old minimum rate of US
$1,300 stays in place, with employers instead agreeing to a total crew cost
which now includes additional leave and subsistence, medical and sickness benefits
and death and injury compensation. An average crew wage for a crew of 23 will
rise by a minimum of $2,173.
Paddy Crumlin said the landmark agreement would also benefit
Australian seafarers.
"We want bilateral agreements giving Australia participation
in the international trade," he said. "Australian gas exports will
increase fivefold in the next 10 years. That's five times as many ships in the
ALSOC fleet.
"We'll negotiate regionally. If China is going to take
our gas out, they must expect to do it with Australian seafarers on board."
The National Secretary is also chair of the ITF-ACTU Coordinating
Committee for Transport Unions. He has called on the ACTU to develop a China
taskforce as soon as possible due to increasing shipping between Australia and
China particularly in the LNG, Coal and Iron ore trades.
The MUA, together with the CFMEU Mining and Energy Division,
is seeking to reach some understanding with Chinese unions about protection
of employment rights in both countries. The National Secretary is also on the
ITF-China Taskforce where the Union is seeking to reach some understandings
about participation in our shipping trades. The Union intends to invite the
Chinese Trade Unions to our National Conference of members to further promote
dialogue on these issues.
TT Line
The MUA held a postal ballot for TT Line members in December
to vote on the draft 'in principle' EBA for TT Line.
The vote came after report-back meetings in Melbourne and Tasmania
as well as on board the vessels where Assistant National Secretary Mick Doleman,
National Legal Officer Joanne White, Tasmanian Branch Secretary Mike Wickham
and Victorian Branch Assistant Secretary Dave Cushion went over the terms of
the agreement.
"The enterprise agreement has been difficult but without
the support and involvement of the delegates representing cooks, stewards and
IRs, the task would have been much harder," said Doleman.
TT Line employs 12 swings on three vessels and is one of the
largest employers of maritime labour in the country, with the Spirit of Tasmania
III commencing operations in January.
MUA/AWU Alliance
The MUA/AWU alliance is starting to build momentum with workers
in the offshore industry very keen about the prospects of the two unions mounting
a joint organising program in 2004.
Industrial Officer Rod Currie reports that meetings have taken
place within the WA MUA branch, where offshore workers have been recruited to
both the MUA and the AWU.
The union will run a joint union campaign around the non-propelled
FPSO's and FSO's focussing on recruitment of members, OH&S and overall working
conditions.
National secretaries from both unions met in December to flesh
out action plans to achieve the MUA/AWU shared goals within the offshore Hydrocarbons
industry.
Offshore Diving
Negotiations for the EBA are still underway with Assistant
National Secretary Mick Doleman, WA Branch Assistant Secretary Ian Bray and
rank and file delegates reporting that the going has been tough.
Getting a consensus opinion amongst the divers on critical
issues such as a single rate of pay across the support and non-support vessels
has been difficult.
Adding to this are company claims of problems with the cost
of insurance and the inability of underwriters to underwrite divers, particularly
in the provision for make-up pay when on compensation.
Superannuation and depth pay are among other issues still in
dispute.
National Office petitioned the members about taking of protected
industrial action and the union has served bargaining notices on all offshore
diving companies.
Bass Link
The maritime unions have held meetings with the Australian
Mines & Metals Association and Pirelli who have secured the contract to
put a power and communications cable between Victoria and Tasmania.
Pirelli are using an Italian-flagged vessel, the Giulio Verne,
covered by Italian unions and the flag state requirements of Italy. The requirement
is that the vessel must be fully crewed with Italian workers. So the MUA has
held talks with the ITF and the Italian unions with the aim of getting Australian
involvement in the operations.
The Giulio Verne is a specialist vessel with power cable stored
on a huge turntable loaded in Naples and then shipped to Australia and laid
from Victorian to Tasmania in three sections, taking until 2005 to complete.
An Australian crewed trenching vessel or rock dumper will also
play a part in the project.
Union Security
The Federal Government adopted key union demands on the Maritime
Security Bill before it was passed in parliament in November.
"Its original draft was opportunistic, skewed and anti
union," said ITF co-ordinator Dean Summers. "It would have restricted
union and ITF access to ships and ports and it would have made it unlawful to
protest or hold any kind of industrial activity on ships or around ports."
The MUA and AIMPE with the assistance of Dr Duncan McDonald
of the University of Newcastle made joint submissions to the Department of Transport
& Regional Services as well as to Labor's Shadow Transport Minister Martin
Ferguson and at a Senate Hearing in early November.
Much of this submission was accepted by both parties.
"We foiled yet another attempt by the Howard Government
to limit our ability to service the membership and maintain maritime workers
rights," he said.
Summers warns that the Department of Transport and Regional
Services, port authorities and maritime companies will now be working furiously
to establish port security requirements before the implementation date of July
1.
Security committees will be set up in all ports and facilities
around the coast. MUA branch secretaries should aim to be included in these
committees.
Transport Minister John Anderson has written to the MUA acknowledging
the union as a key stakeholder in the ongoing implementation of maritime security.
This should be pointed out to any company or port authority who seeks to exclude
the union from port committees.
The minister's letter also sets out a company register of security
induction and qualifications.
"This is less than what we wanted," said Summers.
"But it goes some way in establishing a labour register."
Meanwhile, the ALP is putting the union policy of a national
labour register or database for all maritime employees including seafarers,
port and stevedore workers industry qualifications and security induction to
its national conference in January. Such a register would have obvious advantages
to MUA membership.
Bayu Undan
Australian Mines & Metals, Saipem and Multiplex have formed
a joint venture partnership for the 500 plus kilometre pipeline from Bayu Undan
to Wickham Point just outside of Darwin.
The company has briefed Assistant National Secretary Mick Doleman,
WA Branch Secretary Chris Cain and WA Branch Assistant Secretary Ian Bray, along
with the other maritime unions, on the pipe transportation, dredging and rock
dumping work which will require about 14 vessels of varying sizes and functions.
The project is likely to run for around 180 days starting in
the first quarter of 2004. The rock dumping alone requires 400,000 tonnes of
rock to be quarried, transported and dumped over the pipeline.
"We have agreements with the company that all the rock
dumping will be carried out by MUA labour including stevedoring and vessel operations,"
said Doleman. "The joint venture partnership have agreed to meet again
with the unions as the operation gets closer to commencement and will advise
all successful tenderers in vessel operations, dredging, rock dumping and stevedoring
to have early discussions with the maritime unions before commencement of the
operation."
Free Ride
MUA members employed by Sydney Ferries made themselves popular
with the public if not with management on Saturday, December 20 when they refused
to collect passenger fares for 24 hours.
Instead ferry staff handed out leaflets explaining why they
were in dispute with management.
"It's all about safety, queues and reduced services,"
said Branch Secretary Robert Coombs. "What Sydney Ferries want to do would
make your travel a nightmare. Staff cuts would translate into long queues for
tickets and boarding. And there'd be less staff to help out the elderly and
disabled."
The leaflet asked passengers to protest to management and their
local MP.
The decision was taken by around 200 MUA employees on December
19.
It came after a breakdown in enterprise agreement talks.
"Management have launched an aggressive attack on rosters,"
said Coombs. "Sydney Ferries told our members that all rosters are up for
grabs and they intend drastic cut backs on crew, especially gate hand and revenue
staff. This would compromise passenger safety, customer service issues and employee
welfare."
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