Transport unions form strategic alliance in New Zealand ports

Two of New Zeal­and’s main trans­port uni­ons have formed a stra­tegic alli­ance focussed on the New Zea­l­and water­front.

Nation­al offi­cials of the Rail and Mari­time Trans­port Uni­on (RMTU) and the Mari­time Uni­on of New Zea­l­and (MUNZ) this week signed an Alli­ance Charter in Wel­ling­ton.

The key goal of the charter is to grow uni­on­ism and col­lectiv­ity amongst Port and Water­front work­ers through joint action and ini­ti­at­ives.

The charter is based around com­mu­nic­a­tion, inform­a­tion shar­ing, joint cam­paign­ing, a polit­ic­al strategy and a nation­al organ­iz­ing strategy.

Both uni­ons are affil­i­ates of the New Zea­l­and Coun­cil of Trade Uni­ons, the Inter­na­tion­al Trans­port Work­ers Fed­er­a­tion, and the Trans Tas­man Trans­port Uni­on Alli­ance.

Mari­time Uni­on Gen­er­al Sec­ret­ary Joe Fleet­wood says the Alli­ance Charter is focussed on get­ting all port and water­front work­ers in New Zea­l­and into genu­ine uni­ons and build­ing terms and con­di­tions on the water­front.

Rail and Mari­time Trans­port Uni­on Gen­er­al Sec­ret­ary Wayne But­son says that joint pro­jects between the two uni­ons have already been dis­cussed which will enhance the power and influ­ence of organ­ized labour on the New Zea­l­and water­front.

He says the stra­tegic alli­ance will have a major impact on the trans­port and logist­ics sec­tor with­in New Zea­l­and and inter­na­tion­ally.