ITF Victory against ANL Warringa & Windarra
By Dean Summers
An ITF agreement has finally been signed to cover the FoC vessels ANL Warringa and ANL Windarra, thanks to the support and actions of MUA members
ANL, once our proud national line, now fully owned by French shipping giant CMA-CGM has had their two flag-ships trading on an Australian license around our coast for the last 12 months. Australian license provisions require that seafarers, in this case all Burmese, are paid wages equal to Australian award rates for the entire time they spend on the coast.
Under the Howard Government ANL was left to pay crew whatever they liked with no checks and no transparency. The ship is registered in Panama, owned in Germany, chartered from France using Burmese crews and operating in Australia paid a pittance and under the licensing provisions paid no leave, superannuation or other Australian conditions.
ANL instructed their agents and stevedoring companies to prohibit access for ITF inspectors but with the direct support of MUA members in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Fremantle, inspectors were able to access the ship at will and interview the masters.
Rights of access must always be provided for workers' representatives whether that be the MUA or in this case the ITF. We cannot afford one single port, shipping company or agent to deny seafarers' their rights and we must be permitted access through all ports and onto vessels that may require representation or even a routine inspection.
It was through constant and consistent pressure that the German owners Rickmers Reederei finally contacted the German union Verdi to sign an agreement on the two ANL ships on New Years Day.
The new ITF agreement, which covers these ships, provides a clear provision for full access to the ships, crews and pay records as well as a detailed clause preventing the crew from taking any work away from Australian unionised wharfies.
This is a clear victory for the ITF and MUA and again demonstrates that unity and solidarity around the world using the ITF as a conduit can benefit all international workers.
Double books
The Captain of the DD Vanguard, a foreign unregulated ship operating on an Australian Government permit, was caught out in March underpaying workers by more than $1000 a month while working in the domestic shipping trade.
The ITF is calling on the Federal Government to revoke the ship's permit until the wages and conditions of the workers are restored to ITF minimum standards and that the Russian seafarers be permitted to join the Seamen's Union of Russia.
Matt Purcell ITF assistant coordinator in Melbourne has been leading the charge against the owners based in Vladivostok Russia. He found crew were being paid $600 USD per month for a 48-hour week and 103 hours overtime a month. These are total crew costs with no extra money for leave or added overtime.
This is a disgraceful example of clear exploitation of foreign workers working in our own waters and will not be tolerated. DD Shipping has a fleet of ships and they are seeking more and more cargo out of and around Australian ports. The owners had told the charterers CSR that the ship had an ITF agreement and were completely compliant.
Wharfies in Melbourne have ensured their protest against the company and support for the crews have been heard through actions coordinated by the branch which expose the owners as liars and cheats.
The MUA through our Canberra office has made complaints directly to the Transport Minister that no more permits should be provided until the company adheres to international minimum wages prescribed by an ITF agreement.
The Federal Government must now step in to stop this ship from trading on Australia's coast under a Single Voyage Permit - taking away work from Australian owned and crewed vessels.
This is the legacy of the Howard Government - unregulated foreign vessels trading domestic Australian cargo, unchecked and unfettered. Tightening the permit system is one of a number of outcomes that must be achieved by the parliamentary review of Australian shipping announced by Minister Albanese's office.
The Russian owners are notoriously anti-union and will be pursued all around the Australian coast on any of their ships until they are forced to recognise workers' rights under a collective agreement.
Emirates Trading Agency- Fleet Agreement
A new fleet agreement reached in January with the Dubai-based Emirates Trading Agencies, ETA, and the Australian ITF inspectorate will cover more than 400 foreign seafarers across the fleet of 20 FoC vessels trading worldwide.
As there is no maritime union affiliate in the United Arab Emirates, the ETA ship was signed up in Melbourne in 2002 after a dispute over back pay.
We continued to monitor the company and their growing fleet and we are slowly adding a number of total crew cost agreements. Through a series of negotiations with London and Dubai we have succeeded in creating a collective agreement across 20 ships."
We now enjoy a good working relationship with this company and we look for
Free Osanloo
MUA National Council meeting on 6 March adjourned to join an international day of protest against the Iranian government's illegal kidnapping and imprisonment of trade unionists Mansour Osanloo and Mahmoud Salehi.
The ITF's Iranian affiliate, Sandikaye Kargarane Sherkate Vahed (Tehran Bus Workers' Union) has been under constant attack since its formation in June 2005. The union is a leading player in the growing independent trade union movement in Iran and the ITF has lent its full support.
Mansour Osanloo, the president of the union has been harassed and frequently jailed for his trade union beliefs. He is currently serving five years for propaganda against the system and acting against national security.
The ITF Executive Board adopted a resolution on this matter and we have been campaigning continuously to win his release. The Dockers Section and members of the Urban Transport Committee have expressed their complete support.
Mahmoud Salehi, the former president of the Bakery Workers' Association was arrested after a peaceful demonstration to celebrate May Day 2004, and imprisoned on charges of "acting against national security". He is a prisoner of conscience and has long-term medical needs, including kidney disease requiring dialysis. In May 2007 his doctor requested that he receive specialist treatment outside the prison, but this has been ignored.
The Australian contribution towards this international action was organised by ITF Australia, MUA and RTBU who joined Amnesty International and Iranian Australians to call for the release of Mansour Osanloo. Comrade Osanloo leads the Iranian bus drivers' union which was established only 6 years ago. The protest was held in more than 55 countries around the world and was a great example of coordinated actions.
The Australian Government directed our embassy in Tehran to protest to the Iranian Government to respect and uphold human and workers rights.
The Australian Government is fully committed to the core international labour standards enshrined in the International Labour Organisation's 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work," read the statement by Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith to the ITF, "including the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining."
MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin thanked the minister and congratulated for the Steven Smith for having the courage, political nous, determination, principle and the morals to come out and stand up for Mansour and Mahmoud.
Sea Sparkle
Wharfies in Townsville first discovered asbestos on the Panamanian-registered bulk carrier Sea Sparkle while unloading cargo in October 2007. They contacted Graham Bragg ITF inspector and the MUA to ensure that if members had been exposed that they be treated and any further exposure be prevented.
While our guys stopped work the Chinese company COSCO instructed the full Chinese crew to continue work and to remove any asbestos they found by hand with no protection at all.
As the dispute deepened Graham reported that COSCO had sent a signed form to the ITF claiming that Asbestos was completely harmless and that we had no case.
The International Transport Workers Federation says the owners of a foreign ship docked in north Queensland have agreed to allow experts on board to conduct an asbestos audit.
MUA members along with the entire Australian population understand exactly how deadly this stuff is and dug in industrially until the company agreed to all claims from the ITF.
These were
• That all asbestos be removed by licensed professionals
• That the ship conduct a full asbestos audit of all living and working areas on board to make sure all traces had been taken off and air samples taken.
• That all 22 Chinese seafarers undergo a chest x-ray and health checks in Townsville so that they can monitor any problems later in life.
After more than 10 alongside Townsville fighting an industrial, political and media campaign the Sea Sparkle was permitted to sail. The actions taken by MUA members in this dispute has most certainly improved the living conditions for the Chinese crew and in all likelihood has saved the lives of some of the crew.
World Trader 1
WA wharfie Adrian Evans is the latest recruit for the ITF in Australia and replaces Ross Storer as the Western Australian inspector.
Almost immediately upon his return from 1 month inspector's training in London Adrian was called to the Mid Coastal port of Geraldton by the crew of the Greek owned FOC "World Trader 1".
Incredibly Adrian had already come across this company in his training in Europe and new that they were responsible for low wages, keeping dodgy books and lying to the ITF.
After a frustrating 4 days in port Adrian, working with the coordinator Dean Summers was able to get 6 crew repatriated to the Philippines and more than $100,000 back-pay.
This was a remarkable baptism of fire for Adrian who has set a very high standard for himself into the future.
He has some very difficult challenges ahead for him including establishing a protocol for ship access with Rio Tinto in the North Western ports of Dampier and ort Walcott.
We welcome Adrian and know that with his knowledge of the industry and the support of the MUA membership he will continue the high standard of outcomes in the FOC Campaign.
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Justice for Zamora
Guatemala's new President, Alvaro Colom, assured visiting ITF representatives in January that a proper investigation into the murder of dockworkers' leader Pedro Zamora will now be made.
Speaking at an International Trade Union Confederation conference President Colom spoke of his determination to build a strong democratic state in Guatemala, with the support of trade unions.
"The role of unions is essential, so let us increase membership in all sectors," he said.
ITF Assistant General Secretary Stuart Howard said a year after Pedro's brutal killing unions now had the president's personal assurance that something was going to be done.
This was the third delegation the ITF has dispatched to Guatemala in the year since its member, Pedro Zamora, was gunned down in a planned ambush. The previous two missions, one of which MUA SA Branch Secretary Jamie Newlyn joined, were instrumental in shielding the threatened trade unionists, exposing the political nature of the killing, and protecting the labour rights of workers at Puerto Quetzal.
Akita Newcastle solidarity
The MUA sent Northern NSW deputy branch secretary Len Covell to Japan in September in solidarity with Japanese dock workers and their union Zenkoku Kowan. There are moves afoot to deregulate the port of Akita, which trades with Newcastle.
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