Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Maritime Union says foreign labour fears confirmed

Maritime Union says labour shortage claim has been blown out of water

The Maritime Union says that its fears about short-term casual labour being introduced into New Zealand have been confirmed.

Maritime Union General Secretary Trevor Hanson says the introduction of more cheap foreign labour into the New Zealand fishing industry is the death knell for New Zealand fishing employment.

He says revelations New Zealand fishing crews were being made redundant then being replaced by cheaper foreign crews blew the argument of labour shortages out of the water.

Independent Fisheries were given permission last week to import twenty Indonesian workers to replace a New Zealand crew made redundant in October 2004 amidst claims re-employed local workers were having to accept major pay cuts.

The decision was finally approved yesterday by Associate Immigration Minister Damian O'Connor after some second thoughts.

Mr Hanson says the Government is sending the message that laying off your staff and flying in short-term casual labour from overseas that are paid half the wages is now OK.

"We believe that this is a sign of the way things will be under the new free trade agreements, and if the New Zealand economy becomes dependant on cheap labour, then cheap labour will remain when the inevitable economic downturn arrives."

He says the fishing industry should hang its head in shame for the damage it has caused to fish stocks through over-fishing, which is being used as an excuse for attacking wages and conditions.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

"Overfishing has wrecked their profits and now they are trying to fix the problem by slashing workers wages it is a disgraceful indictment of the industry."

Protecting remaining stocks will have a bad effect on industry workers, but failure to do so will have even more drastic effects for future generations of New Zealanders, says Mr Hanson.

There seemed to be no long term plan for New Zealand's maritime sector, which was suffering from a short-term mentality that was creating social and environmental crises.


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.