Source: Maritime Union of New Zealand
The Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) says Immigration Minister Erica Stanford’s tough talk on employers prioritizing migrants over Kiwi workers must be backed up by her Government in the case of loss of 32 seafarer jobs on the MV Buffalo.
Minister Stanford stated this week that employers will be stripped of accreditation for not genuinely trying to hire New Zealanders.
Ms. Stanford noted that “we have New Zealanders who are desperate for jobs and need to be given the first opportunity for those,” and that this applies to sectors including transportation and logistics.
Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay says despite this, the Government is dithering while New Zealand seafarer jobs are on the chopping block.
He says the Maritime Union is currently in a struggle to retain experienced, qualified New Zealand seafarers on the cement vessel MV Buffalo.
“This is the exact scenario Minister Stanford is talking about – skilled New Zealand workers fighting to keep their jobs in the transport sector.”
The vessel’s charterer, global cement corporate Holcim, is seeking an exemption from the Government under the Maritime Transport Act to replace the New Zealand crewed MV Buffalo with a foreign-flagged vessel using a non-NZ crew, who will receive lower wages and inferior conditions.
“This is a blatant attempt to replace skilled Kiwi workers with a cheaper, foreign crew. It is the very definition of what Minister Stanford is supposedly cracking down on,” says Mr Findlay.
The Maritime Union is calling on Associate Transport Minister James Meager to reject Holcim’s application for exemption.
“Minister Meager needs to listen to his colleague, apply her logic to his own portfolio, and put New Zealand workers first. He must intervene and cancel any exemption that would allow Holcim to dump its New Zealand crew and undermine our domestic shipping industry.”
“The government can’t talk tough on Kiwi jobs out of one side of its mouth while signing off on Kiwi jobs being axed. Minister Meager must act now to save these seafarer jobs on the MV Buffalo and protect New Zealand’s shipping capability.”
