May 30, 2006

The Mari­time Uni­on says a hun­ger strike by strik­ing Ukrain­i­an crew mem­bers in Lyt­telton is a “symp­tom of the dis­ease of exploit­a­tion in the fish­ing industry.”

Four crew mem­bers of the eight crew remain­ing aboard the fish­ing ves­sel “Malak­hov Kur­gan” are lock­ing them­selves in a cab­in and are going on an indef­in­ite hun­ger strike.

They are protest­ing about not being paid the wages that are owed to them under New Zea­l­and law.