Overseas Crew Decision Shows NZ On Right Course

Overseas Crew Decision Shows New Zealand On Right Course, Says ITF

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has welcomed the legal victory of a group of overseas crew members in a determination of the Employment Relations Authority.

49 Ukrainian crew members on the Aleksandr Ksenofonotov refused to leave the fishing vessel in Dunedin at the end of their employment agreement in November 2006, arguing that deductions made to their pay were not lawful.

A recent decision from the Employment Relations Authority backed the crew, determining that deductions for air fares, accommodation, meals, visa fees and medical insurance by their employer were not legal. ITF New Zealand co-ordinator Kathy Whelan says the decision was a sign that the rights of overseas crews were being taken seriously. "In the past we have seen overseas crew members treated poorly, and this decision shows that we are on the right course in ensuring fair treatment of all workers in New Zealand waters."

Ms Whelan says new regulations coming into force this year would raise standards in the industry and clamp down on rogue operators. She says although progress has taken a long time, the ITF was positive about the way the issue had been taken on board by the Government.

"The light has been shone on some dark places recently and we are confident that poor practices are on the way out in this industry." Ms Whelan says the issues of deductions from the pay of overseas crew had been an ongoing problem.

She says that because many overseas workers in the fishing industry were employed in their country of origin, and worked off the New Zealand coast, it had proved very difficult to monitor conditions of employment.

"The ITF have been involved in assisting many crew members in similar situations, and we firmly believe that any worker in New Zealand is entitled to the full protections of New Zealand law."

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is an international trade union federation of transport workers' unions. 681 unions representing 4,500,000 transport workers in 148 countries are members of the ITF.

It is one of several Global Federation Unions allied with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

The ITF has identified the exploitation of fishing industry workers as a major international area of concern.

ENDS

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