MUA Stops Guest Workers on Coast

Date: 21 December 2001

THE Federal Court today granted the MUA and AIMPE (Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers) an injunction which effectively prevents a ship owner from replacing its Australian crew with guest workers on the coastal trade.

CSL Australia last week announced it would be terminating the employment of all 26 Australian crew on the bulk carrier Yarra, selling the ship to its sister company CSL Asia and reflagging the vessel with the intention of returning to the same Australian trade with an overseas crew.

"This is just a repeat of what they did last year with the Torrens," said MUA Acting National Secretary Mick O'Leary. "They made the Australian crew redundant, sold the ship to CSL Asia and brought the ship back to Australia as a Bahamas flag of convenience vessel with guest workers. It is now the CSL Pacific and it has a permit to work on the Australian coast carrying the same cargo as before."

O'Leary stressed the union's court action was not just about saving Australian jobs, but about protecting the Australian coast from shipping disasters.

"Flags of convenience and crews of convenience have a much higher incidence of accidents and pollution," he said. "Take the Laura de Amato, the Kirki, the Bunga Teratai Satu, the Joint Spirit to name a few. Australian seafarers have been judged among the best skilled in the world by Cardiff University, Wales. Guest workers are much more likely to be poorly trained or hold fraudlent certification. What's more once employers bring guest workers onto our coast, it is only a matter of time before they are also working on land."

The court injunction prevents CSL from selling the Yarra, removing the vessel from the Australian register and terminating the employment of the Australian crew.

The Yarra sails from Melbourne on to Adelaide with her Australian crew this evening.

CONTACT: MUA Acting National Secretary Mick O'Leary 9267 9134 or mobile 0418 640 508

For further information

Contact:	Zoe Reynolds
Union:	Maritime Union of Australia
Phone:	0417 229873
WWW:	http://mua.tcp.net.au/

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