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.