Maritime workers gather for 2016 National Conference

The four nation­al offi­cials of MUNZ were recent­ly returned unop­posed in nation­al elec­tions, Joe Fleet­wood (Nation­al Sec­re­tary), Carl Find­lay (Nation­al Pres­i­dent), Sel­wyn Rus­sell (Nation­al Vice Pres­i­dent), and Ray Fife (Assis­tant Nation­al Sec­re­tary).
Inter­na­tion­al unions attend­ing the Con­fer­ence include the Mar­itime Union of Aus­tralia, ILWU, ILA, Samoa FIRST, RMT (UK), AVC Transcom (Bel­gium), CFMEU (Aus­tralia), Elec­tri­cal Trades Union (Aus­tralia), and Zen Kowan All Japan Dock­work­ers’ Union.
The Inter­na­tion­al Trans­port Work­ers’ Fed­er­a­tion, Mar­itime Inter­na­tion­al Fed­er­a­tion and Inter­na­tion­al Dock­work­ers Coun­cil are also attend­ing.
Oth­er New Zealand unions who are attend­ing the con­fer­ence are AWUNZ, NZEI, Meat­work­ers’ Union, RMTU, AMEA, E Tu, FIRST Union and the New Zealand Coun­cil of Trade Unions (NZCTU).
The con­fer­ence was opened by a speech from Labour Par­ty leader Andrew Lit­tle, and will hear from Green Par­ty co-leader Metiria Turei on Thurs­day.
On Mon­day 7 Novem­ber, a spe­cial one day Women and Youth mem­bers was held, with women and youth mar­itime work­ers attend­ing from through­out New Zealand.
Speak­ers and pre­sen­ta­tions includ­ed Mich Elle Myers and Mick Cross from the Mar­itime Union of Aus­tralia, Karl­son Ling­wood of the RMT UK, Sue Brad­ford, and UNITE rep­re­sen­ta­tives Tom Buck­ley and Nadia Abu Shanab, and speak­ers from the ILWU.