Call for action against ships of shame

The The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), 
representing more than 120,000 workers in the construction, forestry, 
furnishing, mining and energy industries, has challenged Workplace 
Relations Minister Tony Abbott to match his national interest rhetoric by 
coming out in defence of Australian jobs.

The unions' repudiation of the Howard Government's hollow promises came as 
Canadian shipping company CSL instigated legal action against the Maritime 
Union of Australia and Australian trade union leaders in a bid to prevent 
them from protecting Australian seafarers jobs.

CFMEU National Secretary John Maitland said that if the Howard Government 
threw their support behind CSL in the scandalous attack on Australian 
seafarers, they risked provoking a national workers' backlash that could 
spark widespread industrial confrontation.

"Members of our Union are outraged that the Federal Government could 
support the replacement of Australian seafarers on the Australian coast by 
foreign workers receiving third world pay and conditions" said Mr Maitland.

"Already, the union has been inundated with calls for action and it is 
difficult to say if, and for how long, we can keep a lid on this."

He said the rank and file have been listening to the chief of CSL allege 
that his foreign crews do twice the work for half the pay of Australian 
seafarers.

"Well he's got it half-right, they are on half-pay" John Maitland said.

The struggle against the foreign flagged vessels — ships of shame — is 
ongoing. It is a battle about the future of Australia's coastal shipping as 
companies increasingly seek bigger profits by selling vessels offshore so 
they can be reflaggled in low tax countries and crewed by non-unionised 
foreign workers.

They then sail back and operate in Australian waters with the Howard 
Government's support and encouragement: the ships of shame not only to 
exploit and abuse their crew but also to avoid paying taxes in Australia.

It was last May that CSL sacked the crew of the Australian flagged vessel 
the Yarra, sold it to a Singapore-bases subsidiary, reflagged it in 
the Caribbean and put on a Ukrainian crew.

In the case of the Yarra the Australian crew refused to leave and 
occupied the ship for weeks.

"The ball is clearly in the Federal Government's court", Warned Mr 
Maitland. "It must make it quite clear to CSL and any other foreign 
interest that Australian jobs, wages and conditions will not be held 
hostage to ruthless foreign employers and their third world standards."