Published: 1 Feb 2016
We the crew of the CSL Melbourne are asking for genuine responses and commitments before we sail this vessel to Singapore where our jobs will be replaced by highly exploited workers on Flag of Convenience vessels.
We feel compelled to make a statement at this critical time for Australian shipping. Many of us as Australian seafarers will never work again as companies like Pacific Aluminium and the Turnbull Government set out to destroy our industry.Amongst us there is 113 of years of seagoing experience thrown on the scrap heap and replaced by a cheap highly exploited foreign crew.We demand that Pacific Aluminium offer a contract that demands the use of Australian crewed vessels on the Australian coast. We demand Pacific Aluminium stop using highly exploited crews from the third world. We can't compete with slave labour and why should we.We demand that CSL put us one of their vessels with an international crew that trades regularly on the coast. There are several and it would be a reasonable commitment to the industry by CSL.We demand that the Turnbull government cancel the Temporary Licences that do away with our jobs.Further we place the ship in dispute on a number of grounds:- Consultation clause of the EBA has not been adhered to in full nor has there been an opportunity to attempt to avert or mitigate against the removal of the vessel which will be replaced with a foreign crew.- There has been no appropriate consultation meeting with our officials and crew representatives as part of the escalation process- Asbestos removal was undertaken on the vessel yesterday, again without consultation. We demand an immediate asbestos audit by a qualified and independent expert.- We demand that Hunterlink as our EAS is allowed to come down to the vessel where we can discuss our grave fears when CSL placed security thugs on the gangway of the vessel.
