Free trade deals could mean overseas labour trafficking in ports

The Mar­itime Union says that free trade deals and recent GATS nego­ti­a­tions have the poten­tial to intro­duce cut­price over­seas labour into New Zealand ports.

Mar­itime Union Gen­er­al Sec­re­tary Trevor Han­son says the use of ship’s crews and import­ed labour on the water­front is becom­ing a major prob­lem around the world.

“Inter­na­tion­al mar­itime com­pa­nies are already mov­ing low-wage, short term and casu­al labour across bor­ders to work in ports around the world.”

He says the inter­na­tion­al ship­ping indus­try already suf­fers from sim­i­lar prob­lems which has led to a col­lapse in wages, con­di­tions and health and safe­ty stan­dards.

“Work­ers are used as pawns against each oth­er in a race to the bot­tom by glob­al-scale employ­ers.”

Mr Han­son says the Mar­itime Union has made in clear that if any attempts are made to attack wages and con­di­tions through free trade deals, it will lead to nation­al indus­tri­al action.