MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA - WA BRANCH

RANK&FILE VOICE
TOUCH ONE TOUCH ALL - OFFICIAL MUA WA BRANCH MEMBERS MAGAZINE NUMBER 43 FEB 2019

BHP
• WRECKED BRAZIL’S ENVIRONMENT
• RIPPED OFF $530M IN TAX
• REFUSES TO PAY $300M OF WA ROYALTIES
• SACKED 80 AUSSIE SEAFARERS

the
• PLANS TO EMPLOY FOREIGN SEAFARERS
ON OUR COAST ON $4 PER HOUR

Big
UN-Australian
PAGES 22-25

BILL SHORTEN HAS BACKED IN AUSSIE SEAFARERS IN THE MUA’S CAMPAIGN AGAINST
BHP WHILE MARK MCGOWAN & SCOTT MORRISON HIDE UNDER A ROCK
MUA WA BRANCH

IN THIS ISSUE 16
SPECIAL REPORT - GEORGE GAKIS
Mid-West membership update 35 ETU & RBTU REPORTS
We’re here demanding fairness

3 CHRIS CAIN
West Coast Conference paves way forward
17
SPECIAL REPORT - DANNY CAIN
Saving your wages 36 ITF - KEITH McCORRISTON
Solidarity shown by ITF & MUA members

4 ADRIAN EVANS
MUA fighting to win
18
DOUG HEATH
Offshore Alliance relaunches 37SPECIAL REPORT - ADRIAN EVANS
Workers Compensation

6 DANNY CAIN
Best practise for all vessels
20
PAUL BRETT
2019: Year of the pig 38 SLATER & GORDON
Making a Sea Care claim

7 POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING
On the buses
21
SPECIAL REPORT
Life before profit$ 39 SPECIAL REPORT
Mental health @ sea

8 JEFF CASSAR
Young workers congress on the agenda
22
SPECIAL REPORT - DOUG HEATH
BHP Bastards 41VETERAN’S REPORT
190 vets danced away 2018

9 CHANGE THE RULES

Australia needs a pay rise 26
SAVE THE DATE
WA State Conference 42WOMEN’S REPORT
MUA veteran’s - get involved

10 GEORGE GAKIS
Onwards, upwards and forwards we go 28
SPECIAL REPORT
Lock the gate: WA State Fracking 43FROM THE MEMBERS

11 GEORGE GAKIS
WA ferry workers join the cause 29
SPECIAL REPORT - DOUG HEATH
NOPSEMA falls asleep at the wheel 46KYLE MCGINN
MUA in parliament

12 JACK MCCABE
Keeping diving from stepping back in time 33 TWU REPORT
Bus drivers fight for secure employment 49POLITICAL REPORT - BEN LAWVER
Alcoa walk out

14 DAL FALCONE
Anything is possible with vision 34 CFMEU REPORT
Salini’s contract on lives of West Aussies 52BACK PAGE
Keep Fremantle a working port

VALE: FRANCIS KALLENBERG

With great sorrow the MUA WA
Branch would like to acknowledge
the passing of a respected WA Life
Member – Francis Kallenberg.
We send sincere condolences to the
Kallenberg family and friends.
Our thoughts are with you during
this sad time.

1 AVAILABLE MUA WA BRANCH MERCHANDISE

1. MUA CFMEU HATS - $20
GREY AND BLUE AVAILABLE

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3. MUA CFMEU T-
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MUA WA Branch, Fremantle

2 RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019

 WEST COAST CONFERENCE
PAVES THE WAY FORWARD
embers, our West Coast Conference is coming up soon (Tuesday, 26 February to Friday, 1 March 2019). This is going to be

M a cracking event. Leaders from around the world will converge in Fremantle to debate possible ways forward for workers to
fight. We need you all to attend. We need you all to be part of the debate. It is a conference that should not be missed.
We ask you all to come along and support your union.

Report by
CHRISTY CAIN
BRANCH SECRETARY
NATIONAL PRESIDENT
0407 850 084
chris.cain@mua.org.au

VOTE ALP IN THIS COMING

ELECTION
Members, we all continue our fight
to have decent wages and condi-
tions of employment.
Australians have a right to work in
their own country, in secure perma-
nent jobs; jobs in our waters, jobs
on our wharfs, jobs in our port
authorities.
It’s a no brainer.
It’s either Labor or Liberal that
will run this country this year.
Let’s make sure we not only win
the election, but let’s smash the
bastards.
VOTE A SHORTEN
LABOR
GOVERNMENT IN
OFFSHORE LAY OFF WORKERS
Members, Atlas Marine has con-
tacted the union and stated that
it needs to lay off 48 permanent breath waiting. campaigns to protect and fight for
employees.
Congratulations guys on a job well YOUR work.
They have just one vessel on the done! Stay safe and I, along with your
coast and the future doesn’t look Union, am looking forward to the
A FIGHTING NEW YEAR
too bright.
Members, as we start this new year, challenges ahead.
Your Union is in meetings with we need to all work together.
Atlas and will keep members They don’t like us
informed on the outcomes of these I ask you all to get behind our and we don’t care
discussions. Christy Cain addressing the
FREMANTLE PORT WORKERS DEAL DP World crew
in Melbourne
WITH OIL SPILL
On January 12 there was a major
oil spill in Fremantle Harbour.
Congratulations to the Port Au-
thority membership who worked
around the clock and did an excel-
lent job in getting the spill under
control.
Maybe the Port Authority board
should give all of them a bonus,
however, I wouldn’t hold your

RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019 3

 With a new fight emerging almost every day, we often
don’t have time to take stock of our victories as a union.
In this edition, I have chosen LINX (formerly Patrick
Report by Bulk and General) Fremantle, to review the
ADRIAN EVANS
BRANCH DEPUTY SECRETARY 2008 EA compared to what members now
0401 692 528
adrian.evans@mua.org.au
enjoy just 10 years later.

N
one of these achievements were handed out
by the boss; we had to fight for each and
every one of them.
On the wages front, we have achieved
hourly rate increases of 48.9% for
permanent and PGE members over the past 10 years and
our fight to put a price on casualisation has resulted in our
casual members getting a larger increase of 62.1% over that
10-year period. Both are incredible outcomes when you
consider CPI over the same 10-year period compounded to
just 22.4%.
As our members know, it’s not just about money. We want
to go home safely and enjoy good conditions of
employment. Here are some of the notable outcomes over
the past 10 years.
• In 2008 (and over many years), we were fighting for
the National Stevedoring Code of Practice. In 2019, the
NSCOP is now a reality.
• In 2008, superannuation was paid at 9% of earnings. In
2019, super is paid at 10.5% of all earnings.
• In 2008, members had to pay for their own income

4 RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019

protection insurance to cover illness or injury outside of
work. In 2019, members are automatically covered through
the EA with Protect, which pays up to $1800 per week
for up to 2 years, plus many other benefits that the policy
brings. And premiums are paid for by the company.
• In 2008, minimum shift allocation was 7 hours. It is now
8-hour minimum shifts.
• In 2008, sick leave was 7 hours and was paid out at award
rate. In 2019, sick leave is 8 hours and now paid at the
composite rate.
• In 2008, long service leave was 15 years and access to pro
rata at 10 years. In 2019, LSL is 10 years with access to pro
rata at 5 years.
• In 2008, PGE weekly guarantee was just $35,000 per year
($673 week). In 2019, it is more than doubled at $71,750
per year ($1379 per week).
• In 2008, PGE accrued leave based on hours worked. In
2019, PGE get full leave entitlements regardless of hours
worked.
• In 2008, meal allowance was not payable to PGE or
casuals. In 2019, all members get meal allowance
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
regardless of their category of
employment.
• In 2008, interport transfers received just
$150 for accommodation AND meals and
were not paid for days not worked while
they were away. In 2019, the company
must pay for a minimum 3.5 star
accommodation plus the ATO updated
allowances - currently $131.05 and for
Fremantle members an extra $20.65 per
day in Part B. There is also a shared
accommodation allowance of $50 day
where own room is not available. Mem-
bers are also paid 8 hours for each day not
worked while they are away.
• In 2008, members had to transfer from
Kwinana to Fremantle and were not com-
pensated. In 2019, members who
transferring to Kwinana get a $75 travel
allowance.
• In 2008, redundancy was capped at 40
weeks inclusive of notice period. In 2019,
it is extended to 52 weeks with notice
period additional.
• In 2008, the company managed perma-
nents hours and any unworked hours rolled
into the next year. In 2019, there is a clear
order of pick and any hours not worked are
waived on 30 June each year. We also now
have a roster rep who is paid by manage-
ment to ensure allocations have occurred
in accordance with the Agreement.
• In 2008, labour reviews used to be us
going cap-in-hand and management al-
ways said “next year was looking bad” so
very few upgrades occurred. In 2019, we
have triggers based on real data and the
first review has delivered 29 upgrades in a
workforce of 100.
• In 2008, selection criteria was done
by management and they clearly picked
heads. In 2019, selection is done by a
much improved and fairer criteria and our
senior members are now equally involved
in scoring process.
• In 2008, where there was a downturn,
the industry would generally move to
make permanents redundant without even
considering other options. In 2019,
members vote on how to address a
downturn which might include taking
LSL, reducing hours of work, or changing
rosters etc. The key part of this clause is it
allows members to implement solutions to
get them through downturns with full
reversion to pre-existing arrangements
when the work returns. This means
redundancies only occur as a last resort
and AFTER all other options have been
exhausted.
In 2008, the graduated retirement scheme
had a 3-year maximum. In 2019, there is
no longer a time limit for GR, giving mem-
bers flexibility if circumstances change.
In 2008, labour hire/contractors were paid
whatever the company offered, which
undermined the rates our members were
paid. In 2019, labour hire is limited and
where they are engaged, they are paid the
same rates as our members.
In 2008, random drug testing was done
by the invasive method of urine testing,
which detects the presence of certain
drugs rather than impairment. In 2019,
our members utilise swab testing which is
far less invasive and is a test that detects
presence while at work, not what you do
in your own time.
In addition to these significant gains, there
have been improvements across the board,
including with public holiday
arrangements, heat agreement, planned
time off arrangements, allocation
arrangements, ERC and OHS meetings,
training, dispute procedures, weekly
pays... the list goes on. When you have
a look at the gains we have made in just
the past 10 years, I reckon we’ve done a
pretty good job.
Our members know that these significant
outcomes are replicated across bulk and
general, in the terminals, in the offshore,
the inshore, dredging, diving, port
authorities and across all sectors and all
sites up and down the west coast and I
intend to highlight those victories in
future editions of the Rank and File Voice.
Our strategic campaigns, the leadership of
our mighty union and the unity, purpose
and willingness of our members to fight
have delivered these fantastic outcomes
for future generations to enjoy.
The employers, industry bodies and often
government have fought us on every
change and the fight continues every day
with the same gang seeking to take back
what we have fought so hard for. One
thing is for sure, the only way to win is to
stick together.
United we bargain - divided we beg
5
MUA WA BRANCH

BEST PRACTICE FOR ALL VESSELS

OFFSHORE The MUA book will set out the While there have been quiet times
MUA best practice and the union in the offshore over the past 12

A
t stop-work meetings
late last year, mem-
bers moved to create
an offshore standard
book for all offshore
vessels.
While we have EBAs in place that
set out terms and conditions of
employment, there are a number
of operations that sit outside the
EBA. Recently we have been able
to identify some disparity between
operators.
While there is no issue having
slightly different operating models
per company/vessel, if it comes at
the expense of manning, we need
position on the majority of work
scenarios (developed and endorsed
by members).
In addition to best practice stan-
dards, the book will also contain
Report by
MUA information, dispute resolu-
DANNY CAIN
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
tion, how to deal with any injuries
that occur at work (or at home) and
0458 010 695 other relevant information.
danny.cain@mua.org.au
Meetings will be held in the
coming weeks with delegates from
to be implementing best practice all offshore operators to develop
across all vessels to ensure we the content before going out to the
create as many jobs as possible broader membership for discussion/
and uphold the best possible safety debate and subsequent endorse-
standards. ment.
months outside of the Inpex Proj-
ect, we anticipate a lot of work in
the second half of this year and the
following three with major con-
struction projects coming online.
It has been great to see the response
from members to the proposal of a
better roster that will see the cre-
ation of more MUA employment
across the offshore sector.
We will continue to do everything
possible to maximise employment
through these quieter work periods
and ensure members are trained up
and have the skills/qualifications
ready for when the work comes
online.

Shorten backs Aussie seafarers and Australian shipping in

response to BHP’s act of corporate greed and bastardry
In response to the decision of BHP and Blue-
scope Steel to throw Aussie seafarers off the
MV Mariloula and MV Lowands Brilliance
and replace them with cheap, exploited foreign
seafarers being paid $2 per hour, the Federal
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has described
BHP’s decision as an outrage. He has pledged to
get ships registered in Australia and to get more
Australian seafarers working along the
Australian coast if Labor won Government.
Shorten went on to ask: why does corporate
Australia, the big end of town, think that the next
quarter’s profits are more important than our en-
vironment, more important than Australian jobs
and more important Australian national security?
For me, this is not a matter of class war. It’s a
matter of being an independent nation,
controlling our transport costs, making sure that
we protect our environment, and making sure
that as an island nation we have ships”.
BILL’S SHORTEN’S PLEDGE TO AUS-
TRALIA ABOUT AUSSIE SHIPPING
AND AUSSIE AUSSIE SEAFARERS
“The real issue which we’re
talking about is that I am
outraged that we’re going to
have no Australian ships left
on the Australian coastline.
You know, I do think that, as
an island nation, Australian
companies should be using
their product on Australian
shores when they ship it,
in Australian ships, or at
least crewed by Austra-
lian crews. Iron boats
have been covering materials in the steel and Have a look at ecological disasters caused by
iron industry, sending it around our coastline for ships of shame, that is ships registered in third
a hundred years. world countries or in tax havens. Why does cor-
porate Australia, the big end of town, think that
I’m a student of history. This is a convenient fact
the next quarter’s profits are more important than
which corporate Australia love to forget now,
our environment, more important than Austra-
but nearly 270 ships were sunk off the Australian
lian jobs, and more important than Australian
coastline in the Second World War. At the start of
national security?
the Second World War, because we had privatised
our shipping industries and sold it all off, we If we form a government, I make this pledge to
didn’t have enough Australian ships to carry our Australia: we are determined to get more ships
troops to the Middle East, or to carry supplies registered in Australia and more Australian
to Australia. We didn’t have seafarers working along the Australian coastline.
enough seafarers, ships’ For me, this is not a matter of class-war. It’s a
engineers and the like. matter of being an independent nation, con-
History always repeats. trolling our transport costs, making sure that we
And what we have here is protect our environment, and making sure that as
amnesia from corporate an island nation we have ships. You know, in the
Australia, who thinks that good times, maybe it doesn’t matter to corporate
the almighty dollar is the Australia.
only thing that matters.
But in the bad times, we’ll wish
we had more Aussie
seafarers”.
“When this government says
everything is going fine... speak to a
seafarer who’s just lost a job
because BHP is sending the ship
overseason and foreign flagging it.”
BILL SHORTEN
LEADER OF THE FEDERAL PARLIAMENTARY
LABOR PARTY

6 RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019

There is only one bus
to get on come the
next Federal Election

Put the Liberal -

National Party last
 Premier needs to embrace
‘white knight’ long-term rescue
plan for Esperance Port
T
he WA Branch is urging
Premier Mark McGowan
to reconsider a state
government decision to
overlook what is clearly
an offer too good to refuse from
mining company Macarthur Miner-
als. The deal would provide genuine,
long-term job security for around 70
full-time workers at the Port Author-
ity in Esperance.
Obviously, stevedores and mainte-
nance workers at the Port are very
grateful to the Premier for securing
a short-term contract with Miner-
al Resources Limited, but there is
enormous concern that while MRL
has managed to acquire the infra-
structure left behind by US-based
Cliffs Natural Resources, it doesn’t
have sufficient mineral resources to
guarantee more than a few years of
operation.
I reckon the best-case scenario is that
MRL manages to produce six million
tonnes each year for the next four-
to-six years. But the view of most
stakeholders is that the depleted
mine that Cliffs walked away from
will be lucky to deliver anywhere
close to that.
To provide some perspective, Cliffs
had a ‘take-or-pay’ contract which
pretty much committed them to de-
livering 10 million tonnes each year
or paying the Port Authority for the
shortfall. That contract sustained 80
full-time jobs.
8 RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
Report by
JEFF CASSAR
ASSISTANT SECRETARY
0417 568 115
jeff.cassar@mua.org.au
In contrast, the MRL deal doesn’t
provide any penalty for failing to
reach the forecasted six million
tonnes per year and those in the
know suggest that four million
tonnes is a much more realistic
expectation. The big question is,
how long will this sustain current
workforce numbers?
There is no genuine expectation
that they will achieve the forecast
volumes and my concern is that,
rather than prevent wholesale redun-
dancy at the port, the MRL deal will
probably only delay it for a couple
of years.
Macarthur has sufficient magnetite to
deliver the same tonnages that Cliffs
was producing over a period of at
least 10 years and could potential-
ly continue to deliver for up to 30
years.
Previous claims by the Premier that
Macarthur did not represent a serious
option were well wide of the mark.
Macarthur has the full backing of
ICBC (Industrial and Commercial
Bank of China Limited) which is the
largest bank in China, and poten-
tially the largest in the world. This
is definitely a serious offer and it
warrants enthusiastic consideration
given the benefits it represents to
Esperance and Western Australia.
The Cliffs mine that MRL picked up
is at the end of its operational life
while the Macarthur site, which is
80km from MRL’s, is yet to com-
mence operations.
It is absolutely vital that the Port
secure a second, longer term mineral
ore client such as Macarthur for a
number of significant reasons. There
seems to be a concerted effort to get
spodumene into the port and loaded
across the belts that would otherwise
be used to load ore.
To put it simply, that would be a cat-
astrophic outcome. Environmentally,
you can’t beat the current rotabox
system for loading a bulk product
like spodumene, which transmits a
nuisance dust that contains quartz
and can potentially cause cancer if
inhaled.
That’s got to be a massive issue from
the community’s perspective.
I also believe there are solid financial
reasons for finding another mineral
ore client. It is far more labour inten-
sive to stevedore magnetite than it is
to handle a bulk product like spodu-
mene. Ore requires 13.68 labour
hours for every hour that spodumene
would require. In a very basic sense
that means thirteen jobs for every
one job. Obviously that’s the big
issue for our members working at the
port; people who live and spend their
wages in Esperance.
Perhaps most surprising though, is
the difference in financial return to
the state government (via the Port
Authority). If the Port Authority
succumbs to the pressure being
applied by certain stakeholders and
ends up bringing in a bulk product
like spodumene, they stand to make
around $3 per tonne less profit than
what they would make handling
iron/mineral ore. Over the course of
a year that could cost the port (and
the state government) as much as
$2.8 million per year in lost revenue.
The whole basis of the MRL deal
was that the infrastructure which
Cliffs previously had effectively mo-
nopolised was to be made accessible
to other players.
It just makes sense that this infra-
structure needs to be utilised to
its full potential, as profitably and
effectively as possible.
It’s seriously a no-brainer. If
Macarthur can pick up the same deal
arrangements extended to MRL then
the Port of Esperance will thrive for
decades and return big profits to the
state’s coffers on a long-term basis,
and everyone’s a winner, especially
WA taxpayers.
 MUA WA BRANCH

Onwards
UPWARDS
& forwards
WE GO IS THERE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL?

M
embers, 2018 was an enormous
year, with our union consistently
being under attack. But as always,
we are continuously fighting back.
This past year, our branch wrapped up the very
long, drawn-out process of the Offshore EBAs.
The reality for us now is that we must begin pre-
paring ourselves for the next round of EBA negoti-
ations, which will likely kick off later this year.
In the final weeks of December, WA had
contingent of eight that went across to the ALP
National Conference.
We managed to get up a number of significant
outcomes for our membership, the main one
being the shipping reform that was voted up
unanimously by the members of the ALP.
Working at Sea is not just a job, but a lifestyle.
We deserve the right to work in their own
country.
Australian Seafarers are highly trained and high-
ly skilled workers.
There is no one better to help protect our
boarder security, our fuel security and our
environment than local Australian seafarers.

Members should begin formulating their log of Further to this, the ALP platform now says With every ship that loses its Australian crew, as
claims in preparation for those negotiations. (should Bill Shorten and the ALP get voted in), a nation we lose our capacity to be self-reliant.
that they have 100 days to make the changes With more Australian crewed vessels, we
There have already been various claims put up required to begin rebuilding and revitalising our increase our own reliance on fickle overseas
at our stop work meetings in WA. This is a great coast with coastal shipping. powers and corporations for our economic
sign, as it demonstrates that our members are
security.
ready to take on these oil and gas majors again. As a former merchant seaman, I understand the
pain that our members have been through in the In short - we have Australian truck drivers who
I must admit that there are some very interesting
past years, whereby our fleet has been reduced travel on our highways, why shouldn’t we have
claims being tabled.
to only eight vessels left operating on our coast Australian seafarers travelling on our
For our members working in the offshore, this today. waterways.
EBA is important so we can begin to pave the
path to ensure that our agreements move into the Vicki Helps addresses the
21st century. ALP National Conference
We must address items in this agreement that over Australian shipping
should be a standard in any workplace that you
have to fly in and fly out of.
AMMA have once again been leading the charge
with representing employers at the Fair Work
Commission - OSM, AOS, Maersk are just to
name a few.
This goes to show that although the EBA
process has been completed, these grubby
fuckers continue to engage in an anti-union
crusade driven by the big end of town.
This is the same organisation that has
continuously attempted to try to block the
amalgamation of the CFMEU and the MUA, but
alas, failed again.

10 RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019

MUA WA BRANCH
WA ferry workers join the cause
In the past eight months, the WA
Branch has set out on a number of
new campaigns to organise workers
so that they too can enjoy some of
the profits hauled in by big
business. One target in particular
has been the workers on board the
ferries in Western Australia.
There are a number of workers
on board these vessels operating
between Rottnest Island and the
mainland or within the Swan River
whereby thousands of passengers
board each week. We think these
workers are being underpaid and
overworked and it’s well and truly
time that this changed.
So far, we have been running a
successful campaign, with
members joining up in droves. We
have successfully represented and
advised a number of new members
in disciplinary matters already.
Our numbers are growing signifi-
cantly in this sector.
All of the operators have expired
agreements and we are working
hard to ensure that their workplace
conditions and wages are all on an
equal and level playing field. It’s
time to deliver these workers a fair
day’s pay for a fair day’s work.
We have mostly been involved
with the Sealink Ferry EBAs and
recently these discussions have
come to a halt as a result of the
MUA arguing that the Award that
the employer is currently applying
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
MUA organising Perth’s ferries
Their time will come, when we ferries, put them in touch with me.
have an organised workplace and All ferry workers are encouraged to
the HR team at Rottnest Ferries are join with us and get on board with
roped back into line. We won’t be the campaign to bring the ferry
accepting any bullying and industry in line with conditions
harassment from management there. enjoyed around the country.
The ferry workers in WA have for If all workers were given all of
Report by too long been left alone, only for their entitlements, there would be
GEORGE GAKIS their pay rates and workplace rights no place for unions.
ORGANISER to be eroded back to the bare
In this world, you don’t become
minimum. We will prevail.
0412 310 686 what you want to, you become
george.gakis@mua.org.au All members whom know workers what you have to and that is a
of any classification on board the unionist.
(the Marine and Tourism Award) is
incorrect. We are certain that at the SVITZER LINES AND LAUNCHES
very least, the Ports, Harbours and
After more than 12 months of negotiations, the Lines and Launches
Enclosed Waters Award applies and EBA for Kwinana and Fremantle appears to be wrapped up. From
it could be possible that the agreement to disagreement and real threats of industrial action, it
Seagoing Industry Award applies to seems we may have a deal. All members at the Lines and Launches site
some of their operations which will need to be congratulated for their patient, but effective EBA.
need to be tested within the FWC.
The Rottnest Fast Ferries. in
Hillarys, has also recently lodged
to make an agreement with the Fair
Work Commission. This agree-
ment is also being challenged by
the MUA on the same basis as the
Sealink agreement, with that being
the relevant award coverage.
At the Rottnest Ferries in
Fremantle... well let’s just say that
their HR management team are
some of the worst. They bully,
stand over and intimidate their
employees in an effort to keep
these workers tamed and
reporting yes to every one of their Svitzer members unite to fight
demands.
11
 MUA WA BRANCH
Keeping diving from
stepping back in time
OFFSHORE DIVING EBA UPDATE
I
n July 2018, Neptune Diving
made an application to cancel
their offshore agreement to put
workers back on the 2010 Award
rates of pay and conditions.
The critical issue for divers was the
pressure it put on all the other offshore
diving companies to reduce their rates
and conditions if they were to win work
against Neptune.
This was the biggest threat we have
seen in the offshore diving industry. It
comes after industry, in 2016, attempted
to reduce divers’ rates by a flat 20%
of the total day rate. At that same time
riggers in the industry had their rates cut
by around 20%.
Neptune sought to take the diving
industry back decades. We fought this
with everything we had.
The MUA responded to Neptune’s appli-
cation to cancel their agreement by en-
gaging counsel. We have come too far to
let Neptune, or any company, undermine
this industry with the stroke of a pen.
This dispute consumed our time and
resources over months, especially in
the midst of negotiating the offshore
agreement. We also needed to send a
message to the entire offshore industry
– if you were to engage Neptune on a
job, any job, then expect a response on
that vessel and across that project.
We would not accept the undermining
of our members’ wages and conditions
through the deliberate tactic of cancel-
ling agreements, that legitimises the use
of Award rates and conditions in any
industry we are in.
This corrupt behaviour by an offshore
diving employer was met with the
strongest opposition, and any major
oil and gas client who wishes to have
this fight on their job will have done so
without the industrial certainty that our
agreements provide.
In August, Neptune withdrew their
application to cancel the agree-
ment. It was an almost identical
response to the inshore diving agree-
ment that they tried to cancel earlier.
12
Report by
JACK MCCABE
ORGANISER
0410 390 081
jack.mccabe@mua.org.au
EA NEGOTIATIONS AND LOG OF
CLAIMS
In July, we sent the Log of Claims to
AMMA the industry representative.
Some of the claims were around local
content, ratchetting and training - all
important issues for the MUA offshore
diving membership.
AMMA’s response to our request for
a meeting to discuss the diving was
“employers did not agree to meeting as
an industry, to re-negotiate a new agree-
ment so there would be no meetings at
this point in time”. AMMA indicated
that the industry had no appetite for in-
dustry negotiations on a new agreement
and basically the MUA could do its best
on behalf of its members.
Will Tracey put it to Simon White that it
is the preferred view of the MUA and its
membership to conduct industry nego-
tiations if possible – but given that we
don’t beg, we will accept the industry
position as put by AMMA on industry’s
behalf and we will consult our member-
ship on our options.
We need to remind our membership
that the refusal to negotiate an industry
agreement comes shortly after the first
employer in the offshore space across
any MUA area of coverage, Neptune,
moved to cancel their offshore diving
agreement by making an application to
Fair Work - a decision that was reversed
after the MUA responded immediately
and aggressively as detailed earlier.
We called a meeting of divers to
update on this unfortunate approach
from AMMA. Every offshore mem-
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
MUA WA BRANCH
ber should understand what happened
when AMMA got control of the ROV
industry after the MUA handed it back
to the AMOU over five years ago - we
watched day rates slide back by 50%
and foreign ROV crews take all of the
work.
Since then, we have been in discussions
with a breakaway group of employers
to see if we could move discussions in
the direction of industry negotiations
without AMMA’s involvement, so we
could halt the attempts to dismantle the
offshore diving rates and conditions of
employment while work was scarce.
We informed our members that we have
secured a small group of offshore diving
employers who are willing to progress
an industry outcome for offshore divers.
The process we have undertaken was
approved by those rank and file divers
who attended the meetings or were pres-
ent on the jobs that we spoke to through
vessel meetings by satellite phone.
As this paper goes to print, divers are
going to a vote on an industry agree-
ment, with the first of the breakaway
diving companies. The other two
companies have also confirmed their
approval of the agreement and they will
go to a vote in the near future. This will
give our members in the diving industry
certainty going forward to July 2022
1 Removal of the Rigs and Platforms
rate which was typically 20% less than
the Other than Rigs and Platforms rate.
The new EBA only has one rate, for all
projects; the higher rate.
2 Have negotiated a 4-year term expir-
ing on 15 August 2022
a Year 1 (effective date of the EBA
1 July 18 – 1 July 19) has an initial 3%
reduction in the previous EBA effective
from the acceptance of this new agree-
ment (no retrospectivity)
b Year 2 (1 July 19 – 1 July 20) has a
1.5% increase in all wages and allow-
ances
c Year 3 (1 July 20 – 1 July 21) has a
2% increase or CPI (whichever is high-
er) in all wages and allowances
d Year 4 (1 July 21 – 1 July 22) has a
2% increase or CPI (whichever is high-
er) in all wages and allowances
e On 1 July 22 the EBA will receive
a 1% increase on its expiration unless a
higher percentage is negotiated in line
with a new EBA
3 No decrease in DMT allowance. In
effect DMT receives a 25% increase in
rates line with course cost escalations
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
and reduced validity
4 Training for project specific equip-
ment (SLS/Cobra etc) now included
under training allowances.
5 To reduce the risk of Sat Diving
Ratchetting, each Sat team will be given
a nominated 12-hour shift that they
will retain for the duration of Sat Work
outside of those 12 hours could attract
overtime.
6 Minimum manning levels for Air and
Sat now specified (minimum) to ensure
enough crew are hired. Note that this is
the absolute minimum and does not take
into consideration 24-hour air ops or
twin bell Sat systems etc.
7 Now specified that the role of Air/Sat
Superintendent cannot be a dual role of
Supt/OCM.
ATLAS PROFESSIONAL (PROGRAMMED
MARINE)
With the recent departure of the Posh
Arcadia, there is a concern about the
future for a lot of our members, with
Atlas only having two jobs left on the
coast the Mermaid Vantage (tender) and
the Semi-Submersible Rig DPS1
The union has had meetings with Atlas
regarding what this means for MUA
members.
Over the past five months we have had
discussions, (dispute) with Atlas, having
industry-based bargaining meetings
with deputy Commissioner Binet as
mediator, over the proposed redundancy
processes.
As part of the process, Atlas have had
a range of voluntary measures in place,
giving workers the opportunity to take a
redundancy rather than be forced out of
employment.
The departure of the Posh Arcadia is
a massive loss to our members. It was
the largest vessel on the coast, with the
most crew and it has left a lot of MUA
members without a workplace.
In order to have full consultation with
all members, we will be holding town
hall meetings around the country, giving
members the opportunity to hear from
both Atlas management and MUA
officials on the current situation. It will
also give all members the opportunity
to ask any questions with everyone in
the same room. There will be a meeting
on the east coast as well as video and
phone hook ups.
As always, it is extremely important
that members attend stop work meet-
ings to ensure you have your say on
what is happening in your industry.
13
MUA WA BRANCH
Anything is
possible with
a little VISION
Report by
DAN FALCONE
ORGANISER
0404 390 075
daniel.falcone@mua.org.au
omrades, I am writing
C
firm.
this email to share the
story of the collective
strength of the MMA
Vision Crew and their
achievements as a result of standing
During this time of year it’s hard
enough being away from loved ones
without your employer threatening
your livelihood and cutting corners
on safety in order to penny pinch for
a grubby offshore oil and gas compa-
ny - no doubt acting under instruc-
tions from the muppets at AMMA.
Last week, the Vision was down
manned and then, with no consul-
tation or discussion, the crew were
notified that the vessel would sail
to Singapore where the crew would
leave the vessel.
The crew immediately contacted the
Union via the delegate onboard to
raise their concerns over a Schedule
1 vessel sailing without a fourth IR
and a marine cook as per the manning
scale contained in MMAVO Enter-
prise Agreement.
The Union relayed the safety con-
cerns held by the crew in relation to
the company’s intention to sail the
vessel undermanned, which would
14
place additional fatigue and stress on
the crew during a difficult time of the
year.
It was also a blatant breach of the Enter-
prise Agreement as it failed to comply
with the manning scale contained in it.
The HR manager tried to worm out
of his obligation to comply with the
agreement by stating that in the past
it had been done with fewer seafarers
and that other industry players had
completed similar voyages while being
undermanned.
These unsubstantiated stories don’t
hold much weight coming from a bloke
refusing to comply with his obligations
and placing his employees at risk.
The crew backed in their position and
backed in the Union to sort this matter
out. And after getting around the road
blocks put up by MMA management,
the members on board advised the
skipper that they would not be sailing
the vessel without the correct crewing
complement.
MMA went on a full scale attack on the
crew for taking a stand over safety.
They threatened them via email to the
skipper, alleging they were engaging in
illegal unprotected industrial Action and
would, at a minimum, have four-hours
pay deducted from their salaries. And if
the illegal unprotected industrial action
went for longer than four hours, they
would lose a day’s pay for it.
This intimidation did not stop the
blokes from pursuing a safe work
environment and, a day after the threats
were made, MMA wanted to cut a deal
to engage the marine cook, if we agreed
to forgo the fourth IR.
The MMA gave the MUA assurances
that this would not be the normal prac-
tice going forward.
THIS WAS FLATLY REJECTED BY
THE MUA CREW ONBOARD THE
VISION.
Deals to undermine safety and further
cruel the Australian seafarers in the
offshore oil and gas industry would not
occur on their watch.
This is a position that should be com-
mended and followed by all Australian
seafarers, right across the nation.
On day four, MMA management went
to the crew with their tails between their
legs, and agreed to properly man the
vessel.
The additional crew arrived at the ves-
sel the next day; an outcome that was
only achieved through the solidarity of
the crew onboard the Vision.
Comrades in the fleet and the broad-
er offshore need to acknowledge the
Christmas gift provided to two families
who have picked up a swing off the
back of the collective and take pride
in the fact that the collective will win
every time.
Next time it might be your family who
are able to breathe a little easier when
an opportunity like this presents itself.
By refusing to cut corners on safety and
sticking to your EBAs, we ensure we
don’t piss our conditions away.
Once again, congratulations to the Vi-
sion crew and I wish everyone a happy,
healthy and prosperous New Year.
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
 MUA WA BRANCH
MEMBER LETTER - ONBOARD THE VISION
Hello comrades, I would just like to say that if
something doesn’t feel right, 9 out of 10 times it
probably isn’t.
My name is Patrick and I was one of the lads on
the Vision. I would also like to say that during this
safety issue we all still carried out all other duties
required in relation to our positions held on the
vessel.
I see a lot of young comrades coming into this in-
dustry and we all need to educate them ,as it’s not
a matter of refusing to do your job (as what the
company allegedly accused us off), BUT utilising
your STOP WORK AUTHORITY which is a
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
company policy that wants employees to enforce.
If it’s a matter of health and safety we all have the
right to stop the job, make it safe and continue
forward. We have to stick together and stand up
for our EBA .
It’s our bible that gives us our entitlements.
I would just like to say thank you to the MUA,
especially Daniel Falcone and Chris Cain. This
issue was thrown in our lap by the company and
we were rightly concerned as surely they can’t be
doing this and it didn’t feel right.
Just knowing that we had someone honest with
us to ring to check and to receive guidance and
advise at suchshort notice - to see if what the
company was doing was legal or not - was a
massive relief.
And thank you MUA lawyer too.
It made all the difference. I’m rapt that we got the
other two spots filled. It made all the difference
to fatigue and STCW hour management on our
vessel.
Alsoone of the in-coming lads told me that he
hadn’t seen work in over 2.5 months. Helping
each other is who we all are.
In unity,
Patrick Jokovich
15
Mid-West membership

BAND TOGETHER
I
n December, I called for an Mid-West The EBA has been signed and is currently and is not the new organiser responsible for
Annual General Meeting (AGM). The sitting with the the site.
members turned out in great num- commission. We anticipate that this agree-
I would like to thank all the members and
bers, with more than 60 members in ment is passed by the FWC in the coming
particularly the delegates in Geraldton for
attendance on the day. weeks.
standing up for your workplace rights.
This was up approximately 20 from last year. There are new sites that the MUA needs to
get into, such as Karrara and Vac West. If Contact Doug on:
A special thanks has to be mentioned to Jason Mobile: 0428 222 092
anyone has any contacts within those work-
Moylan and the Geraldton Beach Hotel for Email: doug.heath@mua.org.au
places, please get them to call us.
having us throughout the week for both the
training and the AGM. We have an opportunity to get George Gakis
these workers into our union.
The Mid-West membership needs to be con-
CBH Geraldton has also
gratulated for their Mick Price is
joined up into to the Offshore
fantastic turnout on the day. Sadly, however presented with
Alliance, which the MUA his MUA Life
there were some sites that were not represent-
and AWU are working Membership
ed, which demonstrates to us that we must
together on. by Christy Cain
work harder to get those workers engaged.
Finally, Doug Heath has
After years of negotiations with the Mid-West
taken over the portfo-
Port Authority, the MUA has managed to
lio of the Mid-West
secure an agreement which covers all port
membership
workers.

FROM THE MEMBER organised work-

By Dave Oliver
MUA Maintenance Delegate
Mid-West Port Authority
It is fantastic to be able to have an-
other MUA Geraldton Port AGM
combined with delegate training
provided by Paul Brett. He did an
excellent job with empowering the
delegates and giving us a greater
capacity to assist members in our
respective workplaces.
Paul ensured that everyone
understood the course content
and encouraged us to get actively
involved. It was great to see the
CBH delegates participating for
the first time. They livened up the
discussions and clearly have a well
place.
Because of the new faces, a lot
of fresh ideas were discussed.
On the other hand, it was a bit
of a disappointment that some of
the Ports’ newer members did not
attend because they could have
gone back to their work mates and
spread the word about what they
would had learnt.
The MUA Mid-West Port AGM
was well organised by George
Gakis and our new Port organiser
Doug Heath.
It was really good to see such a
good turn out from our National
Union President and WA Branch
Secretary Christy Cain and offi-
cials Jeff Cassar, Danny Cain and
Adrian Evans.
Christy presented Mick Price life
membership after 48 years service.
The only disappointment was not
seeing more members from the
BHF area, as it would have been
good for them to understand a bit
more about the organisation.
Being able to have a few drinks
together and meet people to find
out more about the union was
valuable. Geraldton members
would like to say thanks to George
and welcome Doug into our family
The WA Branch executive with the
Mid-West membership
of Geraldton members.
By John Paul
MUA Delegate
ABS, Mid-West Ports
The MUA Geraldton Port AGM
provided a great few days for us to
put a face to other MUA com-
rades, meeting Branch Officers
and hearing first hand about other
issues that are on the forefront of
our industrial struggles.
The training was informative and
gave further insight of how to deal
with rising issues professionally
and promptly encouraging fair-
ness amongst all workers.
From this training, being a new
MUA Delegate, I now understand
what the Union stands and fights
for so much more.
Thank you to all the West Austra-
lian Branch Officials and Organ-
isers for their efforts in protecting
the future for ourselves and our
children’s job security.
 OFFSHORE
MUA WA BRANCH
ALLIANCE
saving your wages
ffshore workers continue to sign
O up to the Offshore Alliance as we
undertake an industry approach to
reverse the negative trend of the
past 10 years.
This trend has seen workers’ wages, conditions
and job security progressively go backwards
through the registration of inferior, baseline
agreements.
Some offshore workers have lost up to $40,000
a year in wages due to a lack of union presence
in the sector.
Sodexo Catering workers on Prelude (Shell)
have recently been stripped of $20,000 a year,
taking their offshore wage to $89,000 per year.
With more than 300 members signing up to the
Alliance in the past five months, we are now
in a position where we are setting up delegate
structures on facilities to ensure that workers are
represented on every facility. We have commu-
nication across an entire industry leading into
negotiations with contractors and clients this
year.
AMMA’s feeble attempt to make themselves
relevant in the industry is falling on deaf ears
with the majority of employers deciding not to
listen to their bullshit and instead take a sensible
approach to industrial relations.
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
The legal component of the campaign continues
to escalate and build momentum as we see three
agreements removed from the FW Commission
as a result of our legal challenges over the past
two months.
DIAMOND OFFSHORE
(DRILLING)
Baseline agreement - $113,000 per year
MONADELPHOUS MWSL
(OFFSHORE MAINTENANCE)
Baseline Agreement - $32 per hour
for tradesman
SODEXO OFFSHORE
(CATERING)
Baseline Agreement - $89,000 per year
These wins should not be understated and have
signaled to employers that we will not sit by and
allow further sub-standard, baseline agreements
to come into the industry.
If left unchallenged, these agreements would
be registered and would be the go-to agree-
ments for workers in drilling, maintenance and
catering.
The result would be a significant reduction in
workers’ wages and conditions as companies
would point to these agreements and insist that
if they don’t have the same agreement or better,
they will lose the contract. (Race to the bottom)
Any baseline agreements in the offshore industry
affects all MUA members as they are constantly
used by clients and contractors at negotiations as
the new standard for all offshore workers.
Each sector of the broad Alliance campaign has
their own industrial/legal strategy that will be
communicated to the membership and indi-
vidual updates will be sent to members in the
relevant sector as the campaigns progress.
With all sectors working together for a common
goal and alongside our strong MUA member-
ship, we have a massive opportunity to make
some real change in an industry where we
have seen workers lose all power to fight back
against multi-national companies and anti-union
contractors.
United we win
Danny Cain
MUA WA Branch Assistant Secretary
Offshore Alliance Organiser
17
MUA WA BRANCH
OFFSHORE
ALLIANCE
re-launches to provide effective industrial
representation for all offshore workers
I
t’s great to be back in Kwong
Alley, albeit in a different
role, as I’ve taken up a joint
organising role with both the
MUA and AWU to organise
offshore construction and mainte-
nance workers in the WA and NT
offshore hydrocarbon sectors.
Over the past three years, the
bosses have become more bellig-
erent and have taken full advan-
tage of the downturn in work and
weak industrial laws to exploit
workers at every opportunity.
The economic and political
cycle is starting to turn however
and the weasels, fleas and shy-
sters from the big end of town
are starting to get nervous.
Their industrial sins of recent
years will catch up with them
when workers get back on a
more level industrial footing.
ORGANISING THE OFFSHORE
HYDROCARBON SECTOR
Over the past few years, the
offshore sector has become
largely de-regulated, leaving
the MUA as the only union with
100% coverage of their sector
of work.
IRs, marine cooks and stewards
have increasingly become a tar-
get of the Australian Mines and
18
Report by
DOUG HEATH
MUA &
Offshore Alliance Organiser
0428 222 092
doug.heath@mua.org.au
Metals Association (AMMA)
as they push to remove union
influence in the West Coast
hydrocarbon sector.
While our culture has copped
a battering, our membership is
resilient and have done a great
job to maintain union EBAs in
a resource sector that is littered
with sub-standard non-union base
line Enterprise Agreements and
dodgy common law contracts.
Organising the broader hy-
drocarbon sector will not only
benefit offshore construction,
maintenance, catering, produc-
tion and rig workers working
on the rigs and platforms, but it
ultimately means that seafarers
will be part of a larger unionised
industry that backs each other
in regardless of occupation,
employer or workplace.
This is critical in our struggle
against the ultra-right-wing
militants from AMMA and the
oil and gas multinationals.
The formation of the Offshore
Alliance reflects a progressive
view within both the AWU and
MUA about the need to put
aside outdated historical differ- tion as ensuring workers got “a
ences relating to issues such as fair go”.
constitutional coverage of work. This would have to be the
These need to be well and truly biggest load of bullshit ever
spoken.
buried if we are to successfully
re-organise the upstream hy-
The Fair Work Act has been far
from fair. The drafting of the
drocarbon sector in WA and the
Northern Territory. (Un)Fair Work Legislation was
The Offshore Alliance’s co-opera- either incompetent or there was
Machiavellian intent to ensure
tive model of organising com-
that employers got the upper
bines the industrial, organisation-
hand.
al, legal and political strength of
the MUA and the AWU. One of the biggest rorters of the
Fair Work Act has been Mona-
Offshore workers will only ben-
delphous (or Monoselfish).
efit from this approach.
This outfit has set up 30 $2
EMPLOYERS GAMING THE shelf companies to operate its
SYSTEM – THE RULES ARE labour-hire and mechanical
BROKEN construction and maintenance
When the Rudd Government businesses.
passed the Fair Work Act in In the WA offshore sector,
2008, the then ALP Industrial Monadelphous is using no less
Relations Minister, Julia Gil- than five different companies to
lard, described the new legisla- employ its workforce.
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
MUA WA BRANCH
Every one of these compa-
nies ‘found’ three employees
to ‘vote’ up dodgy enterprise
agreements that have ripped
apart traditional union standards
and conditions.
MONADELPHOUS – DESTROYING
STANDARDS FOR OFFSHORE
MAINTENANCE AND
CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
Since picking up contracts from
Woodside, Inpex and Shell,
Monadelphous has become the
biggest offshore maintenance
and construction company on
the West Coast.
Its corporate growth has come
at great expense to its offshore
maintenance workforce.
Workers previously employed
by Transfield Worley were
given a blunt choice by Mon-
adelphous when they picked
up the Woodside maintenance
contract – take a 38% pay cut or
f*** off.
Corporate thuggery at its worst.
Not only has Monadelphous
wrecked workers’ wages and
conditions, but they have done
a good job at destroying safety
standards.
Workers coming off night shift
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
are forced to return home at
the end of swing having been
awake for well over 24 hours
and sometimes up to 36 hours.
This shit is criminal and Mon-
adelphous, Woodside, Shell
and Inpex will have blood on
their hands if there is a fatali-
ty arising from this industrial
negligence.
They have been put on notice.
OFFSHORE ALLIANCE –
FIGHTING BACK
The Offshore Alliance is getting
great traction since its launch
late last year.
We are not going to take a back
step in exposing the corporate
rorts of the big end of town. We
intend taking up the fight on
behalf of all offshore workers
to restore our ‘stolen’ wages
and conditions and want Mon-
adelphous to return the 38 per
cent pay cuts they ripped off
workers.
Our struggle won’t come easy
but the unity of workers will
ultimately defeat the corporate
greed of employers.
I encourage all MUA seafarers
to assist in our organisation of
the broader offshore workforce
in WA and the NT.
Education about union values is
critical in the re-organisation of
the industry.
GERALDTON PORT
One of my other key areas of
responsibility moving forward
will be to assist workers em-
ployed at Mid-West port.
I am picking up the organising
of Geraldton from the Gak who
has done a great job there over
the past couple of years.
We have some serious issues
coming our way with the
impending loss of the MGI
contract at Mid-West Ports and
the likelihood that there will be
considerably less shipping in
the foreseeable future.
I intend getting up to Gerald-
ton at least once a month and
encourage members to contact
me about any issues they need
assistance with moving forward.
Last year’s AGM was a great
introduction to the Geraldton
crew. There is a good active
membership in Geraldton and
a delegate structure which
provides a sound foundation
to ensuring workers get good
industrial representation at the
workplace.
I’m looking forward to repre-
senting the Geraldton crew.
19
MUA WA BRANCH
2019: YEAR OF THE EARTH PIG
Report by
PAUL BRETT
NORTH-WEST ORGANISER
0427 198 376
Paul.brett@mua.org.au
A
new year has begun and
with it comes the same
shit that happened last
year, probably.
While I’m sure there is much to
write about that falls on the positive
side of the ledger, I find myself in
what would best be described as a
glass half-empty frame-of-mind and
probably won’t focus too much on
the positive stuff.
To move forward, I think we need
to look back at 2018 and tell it to go
fuck itself properly.
THE YEAR THAT HAPPENED
Before I kick off on a rant, there are
positive results I need to highlight,
not just because of the result itself,
but how it got done.
KBMS EA NEGOTIATIONS
EA negotiations wrapped up late
2018 for KBMS members working
on the tugs in King Bay. Members
across all three unions stood together
100% throughout negotiations and I
have to say, I really fuckin’ like that
shit - not just because a good EA got
up, because they stuck together and
sticking together works.
There’s no genius in it. Further proof
that sticking together works, is the
shit-ton of evidence that proves not
sticking together, doesn’t work.
QUBE PORT HEDLAND
Ten Casuals went to GWE; eight
GWEs went to VSE. That sentence
likely means fuck-all to most, but
it basically means 10 people don’t
have to be casuals anymore, which is
pretty fuckin good in my book.
About one third of the workforce
moved up a level – which is also
pretty fucking good – and not just
because of money. It’s as much about
the recognition and acknowledge-
20
ment for all the time they’ve spent
working in Port Hedland, which is
pretty confronting in itself.
In light of this, the initial number
of jobs offered by QUBE fell short
of the numbers triggered in the EA.
The ERC disputed the matter, didn’t
move from the numbers agreed to
by workforce and by simply sticking
together and to the EA, they got as
many upgrades over the line as the
other ports put together.
Nice story that one.
TERMINAL SAFETY CONFERENCE
(SYDNEY)
Listening to comrades employed
at Hutchison Ports in Pakistan and
Indonesia, talk of their three-month
old union’s beginnings because of
the number of deaths and serious
incidents occurring daily, is a wakeup
call to how evil an employer must be
to implement completely different
levels of safety to employees per-
forming exactly the same work, just
because they can.
Apart from having impressively large
balls, these guys spoke through trans-
lators with emotion and humour and
again are examples of how solidarity
works.
The best part of the conference, in
my opinion, was the presentation
by Dr Eric Lim from the Worker’s
Doctor.
This leads me into some of the rea-
sons that 2018 can go fuck itself.
The Worker’s Doctor essentially aims
to stand in the way of employees
getting fucked over when they find
themselves injured, which, in high
risk industries such as ours, happens
all too often.
Having worked for fuckheads
myself, I am familiar with how
employers fuck with employees in
the worker’s comp system. There’s
been some interesting approaches to
keeping injured employees off work-
er’s comp throughout 2018, such as
allocating them to cushy, high paying
gigs, with all expenses put on a credit
card, just as long as they don’t put in
a claim for worker’s comp.
Vessel masters perform light duties
from home on full pay just as long as
they don’t put in a claim for worker’s
comp.
But the winner for 2018, is the cock
that pretended his employee wasn’t
at work on the day of the injury.
It was all part of a longer-term plan
to starve out the employee by
creating enough doubt in the
insurer’s mind so that they refuse to
accept liability, leaving the injured
worker without an income, without a
job, without the proper treatment and
with no contact from the company’s
designated cock responsible for
injury management.
It is all designed to avoid getting a
worker’s comp stat against the compa-
ny’s name and to hopefully pay out as
little as possible to the employee once
they can no longer afford to continue.
Congratulations, you evil man.
To finish off in the solidarity theme
and sticking together - a quote from
a briefing note put out in January last
year by the Centre for Future Work.
Director of the centre, Dr Jim Stan-
ford, says: there is ‘a close statistical
relationship’ between the reduction
in days lost in industrial action over
the last 50 years and the current rate
of growth in pay which is the lowest
since the Second World War. Under
the current legislative regime, union
members ‘confront a daunting set of
legal, administrative and economic
barriers … to undertake collective
industrial action in support of their
bargaining goals. A Unions’ ability
to win better wages and conditions
is ‘significantly undermined’ without
the ability to back up their demands
‘with at least a meaningful threat of
collective action’.
The fact that employers and
employer representative groups
fought extremely hard to ensure
Individual employees have rights to
represent themselves, and no longer
have to be union members, is good
enough reason to be a union member.
Up yours 2018.
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019

MUA WA BRANCH
LIFE BEFORE PROFIT$I
G
oing to work should be
a right available for all
working-age Western
Australians. It should
form the basis for our
families, communities and state’s
welfare and prosperity. Every worker
is entitled to return home from work
safe and well at the end of a day.
Unfortunately, as we know, this is not
always the case.
On average in WA, one person is
fatally injured at work every 20
days. This disgraceful statistic has
remained fairly stable over the past
17 years. In 2017, 20 workers lost
their lives while at work or as a result
of injuries sustained at work.
We await the release of official
statistics for 2018, though I expect
they will be just as horrifying. We
know that three workers were killed
at work in just one week in WA in
October.
The figures are maddening, devastat-
ing; but the steady rate of workplace
tragedies shows no signs of slowing.
Too many families have been left
absolutely bereft. Too many parents,
spouses and children have been left
behind to live with the legacy of
their loved ones’ deaths for the rest
of their lives. There is much more
Government could be doing to ensure
workplaces are safe.
Law reform is urgently needed – and
long overdue. Culpable employ-
ers must be held responsible for
workplace deaths. My Criminal Code
Amendment (Industrial Manslaugh-
ter) Bill 2017, which is currently
before the Parliament, seeks to do
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
this by creating the offence of indus-
trial manslaughter under the Criminal
Code.
It is currently difficult to prosecute
a company for manslaughter under
the Criminal Code. As things stand,
it must be demonstrated that an indi-
vidual has directly caused an incident
which led to a worker’s death, before
a prosecution can take place. Under
the legislation I’m proposing, senior
managers will be held liable if they
make a decision which knowingly
allows an unsafe workplace.
If that decision leads to a death
or injury leading to death, those
senior managers can be individually
prosecuted. Ultimately, the introduc-
Greens are taking up the
fight for WA workers to
legislate industrial
manslaughter
laws in WA
tion of industrial manslaughter laws
means moving responsibility from
the relatively abstract company level,
to holding liable individuals directly
responsible.
I am proposing that penalties for the
offence of industrial manslaughter
will mirror existing provisions for
manslaughter, which allow for a
maximum of life in prison.
Importantly, my bill will mean legal
recourse for workplace deaths will
no longer exist solely under occupa-
tional health and safety laws, which
are woefully inadequate, but allow
for additional prosecution under the
Criminal Code. Responsibility for
investigating and prosecuting work-
$
place deaths must not
be left to WorkSafe alone any
longer. When decisions are made that
result in a death, and an employer
knew this, it needs to be recognised
for the crime that it is.
The need for the introduction
of criminal offences to improve
workplace safety and reduce the
number of people killed at work was
identified by the National Review
into Model Occupational Health and
Safety Laws of 2008-09. The review
recognised my long-held view that
making non-compliance in duty of
care a criminal offence reinforces its
seriousness – and acts as a deterrent.
The offence of industrial manslaugh-
ter is recognised in the UK – and
closer to home in the ACT and
Queensland. In October, the Federal
Senate inquiry into industrial deaths
in Australia released its final report,
which included recommendations
that industrial manslaughter laws be
adopted in WA – and in all Australian
jurisdictions. The report recognised
that a range of reforms are needed to
make workplaces safer, but holding
culpable employers personally re-
sponsible for deaths, was a good start.
Workplace laws should be fair and
protect all workers from unjust
treatment and unfair conditions.
The sudden death of a loved one is
absolutely devastating and chang-
es the course of many lives. It is
particularly horrendous when such
tragedies are avoidable. No worker’s
life should ever be sacrificed in the
pursuit of profit.
Hon Alison Xamon MLC, Greens
spokesperson for Worker Safety
21
 BHP
The
un-Australian
corporate
THUGS
 BHP - The un-Australian corporate THUGS
After our January stop work meeting, 150 MUA members – with the backing of the CFMEU,
TWU and ETU - occupied the BHP offices in Perth to protest them sacking Aussie seasfarers.
 In January 2019, BHP and Blue Scope decided without
consultation that the MV Mariloula and MV Lowlands Brilliance
would be dumped immediately despite Australian ships having
serviced BHP and subsequently BlueScope in this
country for more than 100 years.

When in 2015, Blue Scope

cried poor because of a
downturn in the Australian
Steel Industry, MUA mem-
bers on the MV Mariloula
and MV Lowlands Brilliance
agreed to a pay freeze.
Blue Scope and BHP have
now returned their thanks
to members by sacking them
and bringing in foreign
seafarers being paid just $4
per hour.
This is despite a turnaround
in Blue Scope’s economic
fortunes where they are now
making profits in excess of
$1.6 billion.
Meanwhile, BHP raked in
$12.36 Billion of profits in
2018; most of it ripped out
of the ground in Western
Australia and Queensland
and the rest ripped off from
developing countries.
In Australia, most BHP sites
are plagued with labour hire
workers being paid flat rates
of pay – many of whom are
receiving less than the legal
minimum Award.
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
BHP’S ACT OF CRIMINAL ENVIRONMENTAL NEGLIGENCE IS THE WORST ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER IN BRAZIL’S HISTORY.
FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Around the country, BHP have increased
it’s casualised contracting workforce from
51% to 57% in the past two years. During
that time, 87% of all new jobs on BHP
sites around the country have been filled by
casual workers. This outfit is out of control.
Around the world, BHP have developed a
reputation for being the ugly Australian.
Their acts of corporate thuggery have ex-
tended from Ok Tedi in Papua New Guinea
to Mariana in Brazil. In Ok Tedi, BHP
fucked up the lives of 50,000
people by destroying a river system that
extended for nearly 1000km.
In search of higher profits to feed the
bellies of their executive management
and shareholders, BHP wantonly dumped
thousands of tonnes of mine tailings in the
Fly and Ok Tedi Rivers and poisoned their
river systems.
The BHP fat cats’ remorse for wrecking the
lives and communities of tens of thousands
of PNG villages was another case of fat cat
crocodile tears.
In November 2015, BHP were
responsible for the Bento Rodrigues dam
disaster when an iron ore tailings dam in
Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil, collapsed,
resulting in flooding that destroyed the
village of Bento Rodrigues.
BHP’s act of criminal environmental neg-
ligence is the worst environmental disaster
in Brazil's history.
Around 60 million cubic meters of iron
waste flowed into the Doce River,
causing toxic brown mudflows to
pollute the river and beaches. This
pollution ended up in the Atlantic Ocean
where 17 people were killed, and thousands
of people were displaced - another BHP
humanitarian disaster.
Closer to home, BHP’s decision to put 80 our January stop work meeting, 150 MUA
Australian seafarers on the members – with the backing of the CF-
unemployment scrap heap is another chap- MEU, TWU and ETU - occupied the BHP
ter in their sorry history of offices in Perth to protest about the sack-
corporate bastardry. ings. It was great to get the support of not
BHP paid its CEO Andrew Mackenzie only those other blue-collar unions, but to
$8.11 million in 2018; that’s $155,000 per have Federal Senator Glen Sterle and MUA
week, or about $4k an hour - not a bad earn backed State ALP politician Kyle McGinn
if you can get it and mummy and daddy back-in the Union’s position.
sent you to the right school. McKenzie Senator Sterle and Chief Cook (MP) Mc-
makes more money in four days than the
Ginn had no hesitation in walking side by
Australian blue water crews on the MV side with MUA members as we marched
Mariloula and MV Lowlands Brilliance
into BHP’s offices to demand they change
earned in a whole year.
their position to sack Aussie seafarers. It’s
In just four hours, McKenzie earns more a pity that all politicians aren’t like them.
money than a foreign seafarer (on a foreign
flagged vessel carrying BHP’s iron ore
At the local level, we have a Premier who
lines up with the big end of town and
from WA to Blue Scope in Port Kembla)
makes in a whole year - and that’s only if refuses to meet with Christy Cain. Who
the seafarer worked 12 hours per day, 365 the fuck does McGowan think voted him
into parliament? The BHP fat cats or West
days straight and had no leave.
Australian workers? What right does Mc-
This is exploitation at its worst. I’d be in- Gowan have to blacklist our State Secre-
teresting to see how long McKenzie would tary? Absolutely none.
last cooped up on one of BHP’s vessels.
We are fortunate that our Federal ALP lead-
Our guess is it’d be less than 2min.
er Bill Shorten, has twice the backbone and
BHP’s decision to sack Aussie seafarers
1000 time the ticker of our WA Premier.
has been strongly condemned by the MUA
at both a national and local level. After Doug Heath
WHAT A SHORTEN GOVERNMENT MEANS FOR AUSTRALIAN SEAFARERS
Over the past three decades, government neglect and corporate greed have combined to
wreak havoc on the Australian shipping industry. If the ALP form government in May
2019, a Shorten Government has committed to the following shipping reforms:
1 The requirement to have Australian flagged vessels for carrying cargo between Austra-
lian Ports;
2 The employment of Australian crew;
3 The requirement for Australian crew to be paid Australian wages and conditions of
employment.
Let’s back the ALP into Government at the Federal level because another term of LNP
Government will be a disaster for our seafaring membership. It’s time for all members to
get active, involved and help throw the LNP out and get Bill Shorten elected.
 Wa state
conference
26 February 2019
to 1 March 2019
MUA WA BRANCH
The WA State Government is
FRACKING IRRESPONSIBLE
The Anti-Environment Minister
Steve Dawson should be sacked for
wrecking the WA environment.
His decision to support fracking is
nothing short of disgraceful
T
he McGowan
Government’s
propaganda machine
is easier to see through
than an invisible mist of
methane gas. Here was an oppor-
tunity to listen to the people’s will;
23 communities across WA have
declared themselves gas field free.
Instead, the Premier chose to create
two classes of Western Austra-
lians; those who live in Perth and
the South-West and Peel, who are
now protected from the health and
environmental problems caused by
fracking, and those who aren’t.
That means that the Mid-West food
28
bowl and vast areas of the Kim-
berley are now at imminent risk
from fracking. In fact, for the vast
majority of gas leases, it’s now full
steam ahead. The limited protec-
tion announced by McGowan for
areas in the south and the Dampier
Peninsula is great for those regions.
But if fracking is unsafe there, it’s
unsafe everywhere.
What’s more, McGowan deliber-
ately obfuscated the facts about
what removing the moratorium,
save for a few small locations,
actually means. One must always
question when politicians start
talking in percentages.
Two per cent of Western Australia’s
landmass may seem small, but it
is more than 5 million hectares -
nearly the size of Tasmania.
Coincidentally, the Apple Isle has
sensibly retained its long-term
moratorium on the polluting
practice of gas fracking. The WA
policy, on closer inspection, also
doesn’t provide any safeguards to
prevent a larger area of the state
being fracked in the future.
It’s one of the many problems
with fracking for unconventional
gas. The industry spreads across
the landscape, needing access to
more and more land and to build
thousands of wells to keep the gas
coming. And it seems there is noth-
ing solid in place to stop them.
Yet again, the McGowan propaganda
machine was in full swing last week
when he promised Indigenous people
and landholders the rights to veto “oil
and gas production” from fracking on
their land.
But there’ll be no veto on exploratory
fracking for landowners and tradi-
tional owners and it won’t apply to
pastoral leaseholders at all. So, it’s
a lot of hot air which won’t provide
anyone with a right of veto on explo-
ration fracking which is imminent in
key areas.
What’s more, the onshore gas
industry is a low employer when
compared with all other industries.
Onshore oil and gas extraction
employs less people per dollar of
value added than any other indus-
try, including other parts of the
resource sector. If jobs growth was
the policy goal here, then invest-
ment in virtually any other industry
would be better.
The reality is that communities in
other states and around the world
know the litany of assurances made
by this dirty industry about how it
will operate simply do not come
to pass. We are most likely to face
cheap polluting shortcuts and a
nasty clean-up bill. In the United
States, the fracking companies
couldn’t make money but pushed
ahead anyway. Many companies
went bankrupt. They walked away
without paying debts or the clean-
up bills. There are now thousands
of orphaned gas wells leaking
across the USA.
Unfortunately, the scientific panel
for the WA Fracking Inquiry did
not include any climate scientists
or medical experts. The report was
based on the incorrect assumption
that the industry would be small.
This goes against the fracking
companies’ own reports. There’s no
doubt that gas giants are eyeing off
a big export industry.
We needed the WA Government to
step in and prevent this economic
and environmental disaster before
it happened, and they’ve failed us.
In the face of this, Lock the Gate
will continue to work alongside the
WA communities on the front lines
of fracking proposals.
We are going to keep up the fight to
protect water, defend farmland and
support traditional owners standing
up for country.
The smokescreen that cloaked the
Premiers announcement has now
been blown away by the weight of
opposition that has followed, with
unions, farmers and traditional own-
ers busting apart the myth that there
is any ‘balance’ in this outcome.
The gas giants are balancing their
fat profits on the global market, and
the community is left to balance
what has changed since they elect-
ed the McGowan Government. Not
much it seems.
Simone Hattam
Lock the Gate
MUA backing Lock the Gate’s
opposition to fracking in WA
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
MUA WA BRANCH SPECIAL REPORT

NOPSEMA falls asleep at the wheel

while OHS offshore standards go to shit

T
he recent media exposure by the
West Australian of non-compli-
ant electrical work and electrical
inspections on the Ichthys Explorer
platform and nearby Ichthys Ventur-
er oil production vessels has highlighted some
significant OH&S problems arising from the
overseas construction of Australian gas plat-
forms and vessels.
There is no doubt that the dodgy foreign elec-
trical installation and inspection regime is the
tip of the iceberg in the litany of major safety
issues in the offshore hydrocarbon sector in WA.
Safety standards are another victim of the ruth-
less cost-cutting by multinational gas companies
who are prepared to put greed, self-interest and
profit before the welfare of Australian hydrocar-
bon workers.
Factors such as the outsourcing of construction
work to foreign shipyards and contractors, the
almost exclusive casualisation of labour among
construction and maintenance crew and the
practice of sacking workers who complain about
unsafe working conditions are all key reasons
why there has been a marked deterioration in
offshore safety standards in recent years.
If you buy a Great Wall of China, you can
expect to be driving a vehicle that is a bucket of
shit. Oil and gas companies who outsource their
labour to the cheapest foreign bidder can expect
the same result. Poor quality and work that
doesn’t comply with Australian standards.
A January meeting between offshore unions
(Offshore Alliance and ETU) and NOPSEMA
left a lot of unanswered questions about safety
standards on the Inpex projects. Following the
media coverage of serious non-compliance on
the Inpex project, we asked offshore workers to
tell their story about their own experiences.
This is what one member has had to say about
his personal experiences in the industry. The
name has been redacted due to the practice of
grubby bosses sacking workers who speak up
about dodgy standards.

A WORKER’S STORY
Putting profits and production before safety in the offshore hydrocarbon sector
I have been employed on several
offshore construction and com-
missioning projects, including
work on the Inpex Ichthys Ven-
turer FPSO.
All of these projects had one
thing in common - meeting tight
deadlines to put profits before the
safety of workers.
In the case of the Inpex and Pre-
lude facilities, they were rushed
out of the ship yards in South
Korea with extensive problems
through a lack of or inadequate
QA/QC inspections at and during
the construction and installation
period and the handover stage to
the clients from the ship yard.
The platforms have had to be
rushed out because of contractual
deadlines and the threat of penal- frame required to meet the calm
ties for any delay in the float over weather window required to float
and ship yard sail away dates. their projects over or to tow into
Any such delays result in heavy location before the North West
financial penalties to these cyclone season.
operators, such as the $250K US
All projects in recent years have
per day delay penalties when
made the same fatal decision; to
the DSME Wheatstone platform
take the projects as they were.
failed to meet the sail away date
from the yard. They simply rubber-stamp all
These penalties kick in if dead- outstanding check sheets - this
lines aren’t met and the con- allows the projects to get insur-
struction contractor is required ance for the sail away and tow
down - and then adopt a we will Geoje Island in South Korea:
to spend longer in the ship yard of Woodside, who were head Australian workers have to clean up
to finish the projects to specifi- fix all outstanding Issues offshore
and shoulders above the other the mess of sub-standard labour
cation. approach. standards and technical compliance
three key operators - Chevron,
In the case of Inpex, this was Probably the only exception to Shell and Inpex - and the current created by the rush to get gas
produced.
exacerbated by the tight time- this were the former management Woodside bosses.

RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019 29

 MUA WA BRANCH SPECIAL REPORT

When Chevron aren’t standing over Australian offshore workers, they are busy destroying the lifestyle and
environment of communities in developing countries.

Chevron fails the test

Wheatstone’s headaches are well documented,
especially with their piping issues with the use of
the dreaded “Grayloc” pipe clamping system.
Due to negligence on Chevron’s own QA/QC and
not enough inspectors with the correct mechanical
piping inspection experience, most of these piping
flanges failed at pressure test and had to be pulled
apart and re-machined offshore causing delays of
over two years on start up.
While this may have been great for the bank bal-
ance of workers on the project, all of these critical
QA/QC documents were rubber-stamped by Chev-
ron in the yard prior to getting onto the project.
The N2 Helium leak pressure was tested offshore
knowing that many of these joints did not meet
specification.

The changing workplace

culture in the offshore
sector
The Inpex Ichthys Venturer FPSO was supposed
to be the ‘new Woodside’. As Woodside’s own
standards, wages and treatment of their workforce
dropped due to the introduction of American based
ideology (yes you Don Voelte and your successor
Peter Coleman), many of their most experienced
employees and some from Conoco Phillips Aus-
tralia left and joined Inpex in South Korea for the
construction and operation of this project. How
they must be kicking themselves now.
All seemed well at first for the new Inpex team.
Salaries were higher than what Woodside were
offering, with a better roster when they get opera-
tional and producing.
Before they even produced one barrel, the global
oil and gas downturn kicked in, giving Inpex an
excuse to instantly cut salaries.
Inpex management then pushed to get their project
Woodside have joined the likes of Chevron put
profits and self-interest before the safety and
welfare of offshore workers.
out of the Samsung yard ASAP, get on location
and start producing.
Safety went out the window and the desperate
push to meet KPI’s and start producing became
the sole goal of management.
The Inpex project was miles behind and was never
going to be finished by sail away date.
As this deadline for delay penalties drew nearer,
with seven days to go over 36,000-man hours
of EHHA electrical inspections - that’s over six
months of work, which was signed off in seven
days to allow sail away with the mantra we will fix
it all offshore.
What did NOPSEMA do about this?
Nothing from the look of things.

30 RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019

MUA WA BRANCH SPECIAL REPORT

Dodgy foreign Inpex

inspections
Once on location, the floatel Jascon 25 was placed
alongside the FPSO.
I worked on the mechanical commissioning of the
FPSO, but these lingering EEHA inspections were
well known and documented.
NOPSEMA came out in early 2017 and did a
few inspections and audits of paperwork - one of
which being check sheets on these EHHA electri-
cal items.
As it was still a construction site they had no
power to enforce these repairs, but said they could
not issue an operations certificate until they were
satisfied these inspections and any repairs had
been done.
In early 2018, the Jascon 25 had to leave as it was
not certified to be alongside a live gas platform
(i.e. it did not have EEHA rating).
Inpex then had an audit done by Kentech (as
reported in the article in the West Australian) and
when the results were given to Inpex they went
into a flat spin.
They then flooded the job with Australian EEHA
electrical inspectors/technicians to complete the
outstanding inspection and repairs.
The sail away of the Jascon 25 in January 2018
was extended to the maximum time it could stay,
which was May 2018 before Inpex envisaged all
these repairs would be completed.
This was on the understanding that NOPSEMA
would then have given them an operational cer-
tificate and they would bring on gas to make the
platform live.
I left the project in 2018, but am still in contact
with the Inpex crew who have their own challeng-
es.
At no time has anyone out there been informed
there are still outstanding issues with electrical
systems compliance.
Gas has been on this FPSO for some time now and
to do this Inpex must have been given an opera-
tional certificate by NOPSEMA or a dispensation
to operate with existing defects.
If that is the case, Inpex would have had to have
adjusted their safety case to allow this and NOP-
SEMA would have to have sanctioned it.

The Stena Clyde on fire off Broome when

contracted to Shell on the North West Shelf.
The next tour ended up on the Bass Strait with
Orgin Energy. Two workers were killed by this
outfit and NOPSEMA sat on their arse for
9 days whilst the MUA and AWU officials were
being blocked from entering the rig to investigate
the fatalities. NOPSEMA denied the crew’s
request for union representation until their joint
investigation (in the same room) with the
employer was completed. NOPSEMA are a
disgrace.

RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019 31

MUA WA BRANCH
Main picture: Barrow Island. Inset: We don’t need a
repeat of the Veranus Island Gas Plant disaster –
NOPSEMA’s track record is nothing to be proud of.
NOPSEMA need to be held
accountable
There is something very wrong in the offshore oil
and gas Industry in Australia.
With the loss of companies such as Transfield
Worley/Woodside Alliance and the likes of Mon-
adelphous getting all the offshore maintenance on
Woodside, Prelude, Inpex (Monadelphous FFS).
There is going to be a big bang out there and it
seems to be the only way we will ever get these
overseas imposters to wake up that they are not in
the Gulf of Mexico or offshore Nigeria and need
to comply with the regulations of the countries
they are operating in.
It is terrible that our industry has gone backwards
so far and so quickly.
If we can get NOPSEMA out there doing their job
and carrying out inspections at Inpex and Prelude,
they need to bring along independent “EEHA”
qualified inspectors who are able to randomly
inspect any junction box/ motor termination / field
installation they wish to drag out of the comple-
tions database - not just the ones Inpex or Shell
want them to see.
This way it will be a transparent and open audit,
not another flick and tick exercise.
While they are at it, they could also step on Bar-
row Island and try and get some explanation as
to why Chevron continues to pump thousands of
tonnes of toxic hydrocarbons into the atmosphere
as their reinjection process to return these back
into the underground formations is not working
yet (and word in engineering circles is it never
will with the production rates going through the
plant at present).
32
SPECIAL REPORT
OffshOre AlliAnce
Multinational oil and gas
companies have an appalling
track record of exploiting
workers in developing
How did they get permission to do this? countries, breaching
How long are they going to continue to do this? environmental standards and
When do they envisage they will have the rein- destroying local communities.
jection process to return these toxic hydrocarbons
underground? When it comes to the
The flaring system on Barrow is to your conven- construction of offshore
tional flare hundreds of meters up above the plant
platforms overseas that will
it is at ground level. With prevailing winds, is this
being blown back over the plant and its work- be working on the Australian
force? coast, they should ensure that
Is Chevron doing monitoring of the working the trade work is done by
atmosphere in and around the plant and accom-
modation village? Has it randomly taken blood
Australian labour being paid
samples from its workforce and contractors to Australian wages and
establish a base level and monitor any increase of conditions and performing
toxins in its workforce?
work to Australian
Where is our State Environmental Minister Steve
standards.
Dawson on all this? Has he been part of the pro-
cess to allow Chevron to do this?
if you pay $2 per hour, you
The state of the ozone layer above Australia is are going to pay the price
well documented. We don’t need oil and gas com-
panies adding to this. for short-sighted exploitative
work practices.
The whole industry needs to be dragged back into
line. Safety and procedures are going out the win-
Oil and Gas platforms
dow for greed and even more profit to overseas
shareholders while the rest of us in Australia are coming onto our coast should
left with the consequences. be built by Australian labour.
It is a total disgrace.
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
MUA WA BRANCH

TRANSDEV Perth bus drivers

Tim Dawson
TWU WA Branch Secretary
fight for secure
employment
T
ransdev bus drivers from
Perth have been taking
industrial action since
October 2018. Drivers
are fighting for respect,
job security, a decent wage and pari-
ty with other bus drivers in Perth.
Transdev is a French multi-nation-
al company profiting $10 billion
worldwide and $36 million in
Australasia.
In Perth they hold contracts with
the WA State Government that
extend for the next nine years and
have 42% of all State Government
bus contracts.
Before the Labor Government was
elected, then Shadow Minister Rita
Saffiotti made commitments that she
would make bus drivers safe at work.
to intervene. Again, there was no
The TWU campaigned for Labor response.
on this promise. Yet the Govern-
ment has done nothing to support Transdev took lock-out action
these workers. against bus drivers and stood them
down for 48 hours.
Even to this day, nothing has been
done. In fact, an article published Again, there was no response.
on Perth Now on 18 November A response did come from the
2018, reported that over the last Government, 30 minutes after a
12 months on the bus network,
planned 4-hour work stoppage that
altercations have increased by 50%,
would have disrupted bus services
anti-social behaviour 22%, and
to the Taylor Swift concert was election. Since then, Minister Saf- backseat thinking that it’ll work out
dangerous behaviour 16%, just to
withdrawn. fiotti has met with drivers on two without Government intervention.
name a few.
Drivers were sympathetic to the occasions. Once after the Taylor
In that article, the PTA said antiso- This Government has even extend-
families who saved for tickets; Swift concert and a second time
cial behaviour and violence was a ed the Transdev held contract of
sympathetic to the kids who were after bus drivers rallied outside
societal issue, not a public trans- Joondalup for the 3rd time, sup-
Dumas House.
port issue. attending a once in a lifetime porting an unethical company and
opportunity and withdrew the On both occasions the Government reducing the leverage of working
Minister Saffiotti said that Tran- action on a promise that the deceived the drivers and led them people; which is a shame, especial-
sperth has undertaken further Government would come to the to believe there would be some- ly when strong Labor governments
driver safety protection training, table with a swift outcome. thing in it for them. in QLD and Victoria, have re-
passenger de-escalation training cently supported their bus drivers,
and upgraded on-board CCTV. But instead of the government So far, that has not been the case.
intervening to resolve the dispute, including Transdev drivers, in their
TWU Bus Drivers will continue
This is false! we got Premier McGowan posting struggle for parity.
to apply the pressure. Bus drivers
TWU members spoke to Minister a video of himself playing a Taylor have sent hundreds of individual They held true to their Labor
Saffiotti about equal conditions for Swift record and encouraging peo- e-mails to the Government and de- values of unionism and supporting
all WA bus drivers 12 months ago, ple to plan their travel via livered the petition with thousands working families.
but they received no response. Transperth website. of signatures to them.
It is time that our WA State Labor
Five months ago they met with This was a slap in the face to 1000 Transport Minister Rita Saffiotti Government does the same for
Saffioti’s staff to tell them that Transdev drivers who supported needs to step in to resolve this long its bus drivers in WA and for all
industrial action was imminent and this Government in the last running dispute and not take a blue-collar workers.

RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019 33

MUA WA BRANCH
Mick Buchan
State Secretary
CFMEU
Salini’s contract
on the lives of
West Australians
F
or almost two years
the CFMEU has been
voicing concerns over
the State Government’s
Forrestfield Airport Link
project being built by the Italian
Multinational Salini Impreglio.
Salini put in a quote for the job that
was almost half a billion dollars
below the Barnett Government’s
own cost estimate. Our fear was
that it would be gouged out of
worker’s wages, basic safety and
build quality.
Every one of those fears have now
been fully realised.
Salini imported overseas teams of
workers who are isolated from con-
tact and denied the CFMEU right
of entry to inspect safety in the
tunnels or represent these workers.
They set up a sham agreement and
got three workers to vote it up
before work on the project had
even begun and then applied it to
every worker on the job for the
duration of the project. Seriously,
three workers.
We’ve had engineers tell us the
project was never properly engi-
neered from the start. We’ve had
workers come to us to report seri-
ous environmental failures. We’ve
been told the build quality is so bad
that it will leave the West Austra-
lian taxpayer with a remediation
bill that could run into the billions.
And we’ve had two near fatal
injuries and a constant stream of
safety failures that defy belief,
such as workers paddling a dinghy
through the flooded tunnel to work
on electrics.
All these issues are made worse
34
by the fact that workers are being
moved to other sites or shown the
door in response to raising poten-
tially fatal safety issues. And work-
ers have been physically threatened
for taking and sharing photos of
unsafe conditions.
This is a mind-boggling failure of
the Australian workplace safety
laws. When workers are being
sacked and threatened for speaking
up about safety, then the laws that
are supposed to keep workplaces
safe are broken beyond any com-
prehension.
It’s the type of thing you’d expect
in a third-world country where
governments turn a blind eye to the
exploitation of their own citizens.
It’s certainly not a circumstance
that should ever exist here in
Western Australia - ever.
The McGowan Government’s
response is they have no ability
to intervene due to contractual
arrangements. This means one of
two things:
It could be bullshit and the State
Government is just abdicating its
responsibility to provide a safe
tigating and verifying if Australian Either way, the most basic systems
workplace. That would be a piss
safety and industrial standards are that are supposed to protect the
poor failure of governance. But the
being met, and prohibits it from life, safety, and dignity of West
alternative is worse.
independently inspecting the build
Australian workers are broken. And
The State Government has a quality on its own project to ensure
our own Government is complicit
contract with a builder that legally the tunnel is actually being built to
in the blatant exploitation of West
prohibits it from insisting on a safe specification and is fit for purpose.
workplace, prohibits it from inves- That possibility is truly frightening. Australian workers.
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
MUA WA BRANCH

We’re here demanding fairness

C
omrades, as the Branch secretary We certainly were not naive. RTBU members leadership why isn’t part of that surplus being
of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union understood that the McGowan Government earmarked for providing state workers decent
(RTBU), one of my objectives is to inherited a disastrous financial deficit from the wage increases?
ensure that our union membership Liberals. We accepted that financial prudence
has its voice heard, not only with would be the order of the day to turn around the As a union movement, we should be sitting at
the employers we deal with every day, but just previous mob’s mismanagement of the economy the table demanding fairness for our members -
as importantly, with our political leaders who and return the State coffers to surplus. not begging for favours.
formulate and implement policies at State and In unity
Yet now nearly two years on, the expectation
Federal levels.
that the State Government could end up with as Joshua Dekuyer
On occasion, this requires a frank and robust much as a reported $1 billion at its disposal, has Branch secretary - The Australian Rail, Tram
conversation with those political office bearers given rise to many of us questioning the Labor and Bus Industry Union of Employees
whose decisions shape our working lives and
living conditions daily.
It goes without saying that the RTBU member-
ship and that of our brothers and sisters in the
wider union movement held out great hopes for
a better deal to be delivered by a Labor Govern-
ment that was brought to power on the back of
a landslide victory born from the hard work and
commitment of thousands of unionists.
We voted for change and expected change, but
what we did not expect was that a Labor
Government would impose a state wages policy
that fell well short of that of the previous Liberal
regime.
As it currently stands, the paltry $1000 (per
year) capped pay increase hardly scratches the
surface for hard-pressed working families in
WA. To put the $1000 into perspective, it means
approximately $19.20 a week (before tax), which
is hardly enough to take your partner for lunch!

“Cheapest
is best” is
Construction starts on the Inner City School, a State Government project:
Built by one of Perth’s worst builders, with no union EBA, shit compliance and
dodgy industrial standards. What a f**n disgrace and what a waste of WA

not best
taxpayer’s hard-earned money.

F
or the past decade, the
ETU has negotiated an
EBA for its members
servicing and maintain-
ing the state’s traffic
lights and signals.
When Main Roads put the contract
out to tender, we thought we’d be
ok, given the fact that we had a
state Labor Government in place
and the hard yards that unions and
its members had done in getting
them elected.
However a new company called
Ventia Smart was in the running for
the contract and had recently regis-
tered a new EBA using the Federal
Coalition Govnment’s broken IR
legislation, negotiated with non-
union workers across the country,
none of whom were electricians
and none of whom would be work-
ing on this new contract. Adding
insult to injury, this sham EBA
undercut the wages and conditions
of our agreement by 25 per cent.
We met with Transport Minister
Rita Saffioti and called on her to do
the right thing by the current work-
force. We argued that these were
skilled workers who’d been trained
over the years with taxpayer money
and were the only ones capable of
doing this work. They shouldn’t be
forced to do the same work for the
same Government dept for 25 per
cent less pay. The response was ex-
cuse after excuse and they awarded
the contract to Ventia Smart.
In response, we shamed the Gov-
ernment on social media, at ALP
meetings (supported by the MUA)
and mobilised members against
them, ultimately starving the new
company of enough of our mem-
bers labour until they had to negoti-
ate with us a make-up allowance to
entice them over.
But this small win should not mask
what an ALP Government has done
here. To cut their budget deficit
they’ve used the Federal Govern-
ment’s broken laws to allow a new
company to sidestep any form of
union representation, and undercut
wages and conditions of a union-
ised workforce under a union EBA.
The ultimate shame is that most of
our previous EBAs for this contract
were negotiated under the Barnett
Liberal Government.
We call on this ALP Government
to abandon the discredited neo-lib
economic model of ‘cheapest is
best’, stop using the Coalitions
broken rules to reduce your budget
deficit and allow unions to negoti-
ate decent wages and conditions for
workers on state funded projects -
you know, like you promised at the
last election. Failing to do so will
lose those unions and its members
and result in another one-term
Labor Government.
Peter Carter
ETU WA State secretary

RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019 35

MUA WA BRANCH
International seafarers solidarity
shown by ITF & MUA members
I
get a lot of questions
about seafarers who are
injured, or die at Sea,
such as what happens to
them? I can report that
we have established several
welfare committees around
Australia for this sole purpose,
as recommended by the Mari-
time Labour Convention 2006.
With 30,000-plus merchant
ships trading around the world,
we regularly get reports of
injury and death at sea. Most
foreign seafarers do anything
from 6 to 11 months at sea
away from their families.
When a seafarer loses his life,
or is injured at sea, it’s a huge
worry for their immediate
family and friends.
Can you imagine losing a
son or daughter at sea, or in a
foreign country? There is noth-
ing more devastating for any
family and something none of
us want to experience.
In Fremantle, the welfare
committee is represented by
the ITF, AMSA, Port Contacts,
Fremantle Port Authority, Bor-
der Force, Mission to Seafar-
ers, Stellar Maris, ships agents,
local councilors and more.
Once we are advised of an
accident or incident, it’s the
seafarer’s wellbeing and
welfare that is our concern.
Over the years, many seafarers
have been injured and repa-
triated as soon as possible by
some ship owners. They get
sent home and many times
they don’t have access to
proper hospital or medical
care. There have been many
reports over the years of
seafarers being abandoned and
having no medical assistance.
I can report that we have seen
changes to these old days, due to
the MLC 2006 implementation.
Australian doctors generally
won’t medically clear seafarers
unless they are confident they
will get the appropriate medical
service and follow-up in their
home country.
36
Report by
KEITH McCORRISTON
ITF INSPECTOR
0422 014 861
keith.mccorriston@mua.org.au
The international solidarity by
seafarers is amazing.
I was recently advised of a
Chinese seafarer who had a
serious leg injury and was
transferred to Cocos Island.
The MUA members on board
the M/V Ocean Protector rang
me to see how the ITF could
assist.
Apparently, the seafarer was
on board the bulk carrier M/V
CSB Prosperity en-route to
China, when the seafarer fell in
the engine room and suffered a
broken leg, broken ribs and a
serious back injury.
The seafarer was flown to
Royal Perth Hospital and had
an operation on his broken
leg. He spent a few weeks in
hospital and one day he was
discharged. No one knew
where he went.
After several phone calls, we
understand a contact from
the Chinese community had
offered to look after him at his
family home as the seafarer
spoke very little English and
needed an interpreter.
MUA members John Owen,
Darren Robinson and I visited
the seafarer and can report he
is coming along fine, however
it’s very possible the seafarer
will require more operations
and will be in Perth for another
six months.
He was presented with a large
fruit platter and a donation
from the MUA members off
the M/V Ocean Protector. The
Chinese seafarer was abso-
lutely taken aback, knowing
that Australian seafarers, the
welfare committee and the ITF
were there for him.
Due to the extent of his con-
dition, we are in discussion
with the ship management and
agents to have his family flown
and accommodated in Perth
during his recovery period.
I would like to thank John and
Darren for their dedication and
follow-up to assist the seafarer
in need. It’s truly a great spirit
shown by MUA members/
Australian seafarers.
As we move into 2019, the ITF
inspectorate will no doubt be
out and around chasing up sea-
farer’s complaints and prob-
lems. The ITF inspectorate has
a network of 140 inspectors
and contacts based in 125 ports
within 57 countries throughout
the world.
In November 2018, 848
inspections were conducted,
and $2,089,531 USD was
recovered in stolen wages.
It’s not always about recov-
ering wages. We continue
to get text messages, phone
calls about lack of provisions,
overtime hours not recorded
properly, expired contracts,
shore leave, breaches of the
MLC 2006 etc.
History and well documented
proof shows the ITF FOC
campaign has been very
successful in protecting
seafarers’ rights.
So, what about those vessels
not covered by ITF approved
Collective Bargaining Agree-
ments?
These vessels usually mean
low wages, long hours of
work, low overtime rates,
limited insurance on death and
injury to name a few.
I would like to thank all those
port contacts and delegates that
continue to support seafarers
in need. I wish you all the best
in 2019.
www.itfseafarers.org
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
 WORKERS COMPENSATION

Hurt at work?
There has been a heap of members with issues relating to workers comp lately.
The branch has arranged for Slater and Gordon to put together an information pack for land-based
workers which we have been getting around sites and is available in the branch.
Here are the key points you need to know about your rights around workers compensation and you
should always exercise these rights.

1
Always notify the company in writing when
you have an incident, even if it’s a minor
injury/strain, in case it flares up later.

2
You should always go to your own doctor
first, so you can have control of your case.
Your doctor is more likely to care about you
than a company doctor would.

3
You should not tick the box on the
compensation form to provide your
medical history to the company. Your
personal medical history should stay personal.

4
You should never let management attend
your medicals. That is a private
appointment between you and your doctor.

5
You have a right to appoint your own
rehabilitation provider when your doctor
puts you on restricted hours/duties. The
branch recommends Freshstart Injury Management. Call the branch on 9335 0500 for a referral.

6
Where legal advice is required, the branch recommends Slater and Gordon. Call the branch on
9335 0500 for a referral.

If, at any stage, you are unsure, call your organiser.

Adrian Evans
MUA WA BRANCH
PURSUING A SEA CARE CLAIM
M
any seafarers are being discour-
aged from lodging a claim for
workers compensation and this can
be very damaging, not only to your
existing injury but also your future.
Pursuing workers compensation can be overwhelm-
ing and stressful. If you have been injured, getting
the right information is vital to ensure you are able to
take care of yourself and your family.
If you’re a seafarer or an offshore worker and you’ve
injured yourself at work, you may be covered by
Seacare (Seafarers Rehabilitation & Compensation
Act 1992 (the Act)) for your workers compensation.
MAKING A CLAIM
To make a claim under the Act:
• report your incident/injury as soon as practicable.
• seek medical treatment.
• call your union.
• complete the Seacare Claim Form in full and sign
the authorisation, declaration and acknowledgement
as soon as practicable.
• obtain a First Medical Certificate from your own
GP. You are entitled to choose your own treating
medical professionals. You do not have to use your
Employer’s GP.
• take a copy of both the Seacare Claim Form and
the First Medical Certificate for your records and
submit the original Seacare Claim Form and the
First Medical Certificate to your employer, who will
then forward a copy of your claim form and relevant
attachments to the Seacare Authority.
Relevant forms can be found at your employer,
union, the Seacare Authority and online: https://
www.seacare.gov.au/forms_and_publications/forms/
Compensation_forms
WHEN YOU CAN CLAIM:
As a rule you can claim for physical and or psycho-
logical injuries while:
• on board a vessel on which you were employed; or
• temporarily absent from that vessel on an ordinary
break in your employment; or
• travelling between your place of residence and
workplace; or
• undergoing a required training course.
WHAT YOU CAN CLAIM FOR:
• medical treatment and related expenses
• loss of earnings where a seafarer is incapacitated
for work
• permanent impairment
• non-economic loss ie pain and suffering.
• household and care services
• death benefits
• funeral expenses
INCAPACITY PAYMENTS
Incapacity payments will be made where liability of
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
Australian seafarers work in tough conditions. It
is important that seafarers know their rights if they
get injured at work. Slater and Gordon have lawyers
who specialise in workers comp, including sea care.
Contact the Branch if you need legal advice.
your claim has been accepted. In order to substantiate
your claim for these incapacity payments, you must
ensure that you continue to obtain ongoing medical
certificates, assessing your incapacity to work.
It is important that you obtain these certificates on a
frequent basis and in accordance with your doctors
recommendations. It is recommended that you have
your incapacity assessed every four (4) weeks.
• Compensation is payable for the first 45 weeks of
incapacity after the date on which the worker is left
on shore at, or returned to, his or her proper port.
• After this time period, incapacity is capped between
75 percent and 100 per cent of normal weekly
earnings depending on how many hours a week the
employee works.
Incapacity payments after 45 weeks are determined
according to a formula.
If you have concerns about your current rate of pay
under your Seacare claim, contact your union for a
referral to Slater and Gordon.
DETERMINATION
For Seacare claims it is the employer, not an insurer,
who decides whether they should accept the claim.
Legislation requires an employer to make a determi-
nation within:
• twelve (12) days of receiving the claim, where a
claim is made for compensation for incapacity for
work, the loss or damage of property, or the cost of
medical treatment received (s73 of the Act);
• thirty (30) days of receiving the claim, where a
claim is made for compensation for permanent im-
pairment (s73A of the Act); or
• sixty (60) days of receiving the claim, where a
claim is made for compensation relating to the death
of an employee (s72 of the Act).
*Your Employer can make a request for an extension
of time if they require additional time to make a
decision.
RECONSIDERATION
If a claim has been declined and you wish to chal-
lenge the decision, you must:
• request to have the determination reconsidered.
• make said request within thirty (30) days of receiv-
ing the determination.
• make your request in writing and set out the reasons
for asking for the determination to be reconsidered.
Your employer has sixty (60) days to reconsider its
determination and issue a reconsidered decision to
you by the 60th day.
Your employer can request further information or
documentation from you pursuant to section 79(2) of
the Act. That 60 day period will be extended by the
number of days from the time the request is made, to
receiving said information/documentation from you.
Your employer may require you to undergo an exam-
ination and obtain a report by a medical practitioner.
The 60 day period will be extended by the number
of days it takes to receive the report from the date of
request (s79(3)).
If a reconsideration is unsuccessful and/or no recon-
sidered decision is received, an application to review
the decision at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
must be lodged within 60 days from the date of that
decision.
COMPENSATION FOR INCAPACITY FOR WORK, THE LOSS
OR DAMAGE OF PROPERTY, OR THE COST OF MEDICAL
TREATMENT RECEIVED
If you have lodged a claim for incapacity for work
(which is the most common type of claim) and a
decision is not made within the specified twelve (12)
days, an employer is taken to have made the decision
to deny the claim.
If a claim has been denied and you wish to challenge
the decision, I refer you to the process referred to
above under the subheading Reconsideration.
COMPENSATION FOR PERMANENT IMPAIRMENT:
In the event you have suffered from a degree of per-
manent impairment, you may be eligible to explore a
claim for permanent impairment and non-economic
loss.
In order to be eligible for such an application, the
following will be considered:
1. Whether you have an impairment
2. That your impairment is permanent
3. You have been assessed in accordance with the
Comcare Guides;
4. The degree of your impairment meets the thresh-
olds for compensation
5. Whether you have been paid a previous lump sum
benefit for permanent impairment.
Thresholds
In order to be eligible to make a claim for permanent
impairment or non-economic loss, the following
threshold’s apply to your level of impairment:
1. Most compensable injuries – 10% Whole Person
Impairment; or
2. Loss of Finger, Toes, Sense of Taste or Smell – No
threshold.
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
38
SEA CARE’S MENTAL HEALTH WORKSHOP
RANK & FILE REPORTS

Mental health @ sea

Tackling mental health issues in the seafaring industry
Managing TOXIC WORKPLACES TAKE TOLL
fatigue
BY CATHERINE SHARDLOW
On the November 20, 2018 at the
Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle, I attended
the Seacare Authority Mental Health
Workshop. As we know, anxiety, fatigue,
stress and depression play a huge role
in our industry and as a result we have
large number of suicides.
Out of the AMSA Mental Health Survey,
fatigue was identified as being one of the
main concerns raised by our members.
How do we properly manage fatigue
with 12-hour days and long rosters? It
got me thinking - how do I manage my
fatigue?
I believe companies should start to
look at mental health and we should
look at having a Medic on board more
of our vessels.
Mental health and physical health go
hand in hand and just because you can’t
see it, as you would a body injury, it
doesn’t mean it should be treated any
less.
There are times where we don’t have
access to internet connection and a
lack of services to help those in need. I
believe if we had counselors or Active
Life Coaches on board each contract,
we would see a lot less of our com-
rades gone.
BY VICKY HELPS
The findings from studies undertaken by AMSA
and UWA show that one of the primary factors
impacting on the mental health of international
seafarers is the unpredictability of seafaring
work.
These findings, among other reports from a
variety of experts, were shared at a mental
health workshop facilitated by Sea Care recently.
In the coming months, that same study will be
applied to the Australian context. I have no
doubt the findings will be very similar.
For caterers, the ongoing downward pressure
on manning benchmarks, the flooding of local
contracts with non-union workers and the
aggressive and anti-union strategies by the
likes of companies such as Sodexo, have taken
their toll on union workers.
Unreasonable workloads, lower rates of pay,
the erosion of conditions and the daily struggle
to organise in an anti-union workplace press
heavily. Along with the absence of any oppor-
tunity for permanent employment and punitive
onboard and managerial responses to union
activism, create toxic workplaces.
Toxic workplaces make for fertile ground for
the growth of bullying and harassment, stress
and disharmony and contribute to declining
levels of mental health across maritime work-
places. Mental health issues and illness are on
the rise across the industry and often a person
will turn to another crew member they trust
for support.
People with declining mental health may not be
willing to seek help through official employer
provided processes. Mental health issues are
often stigmatised and like illness and injury
generally, workers often have concerns about
ongoing employment if they openly seek help.
People who are suffering may often turn to a
shipmate for support.
For people supporting those experiencing a
decline in mental health listening with empa-
thy, compassion and without judgment is the
normal and prescribed first, and often ongoing,
response. Should a person need further assis-
tance other than that offered on board,
Hunterlink provides support services to
maritime workers and their families.
The obvious strategies with dealing with men-
tal health issues are those that improve health
generally. Eat and sleep well, exercise regular-
ly, try to get a moderate amount of sunshine
daily and maintain healthy social interaction
with shipmates.
More specifically, encourage the person to con-
tact Hunterlink directly. This can be done by
telephone or email. If a person is feeling unable
to make contact, permission can be sought
from the person to enable you to provide Hunt-
erlink with their contact details. Hunterlink
will then initiate contact.
The goal is and always will be to keep ourselves
and each other safe at work. In an industry
that is becoming increasingly unpredictable,
it is incumbent on each of us to work towards
making our workplaces places where people
can thrive

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
If you have lodged a claim for permanent impair-
ment and a decision is not made within the specified
thirty (30) days, an Employer is taken to have made
a decision to decline the claim.
If a claim has been denied and you wish to
challenge the decision, I refer you to the process
referred to above under the subheading “Reconsid-
eration”.
Reviewing a Decision at the Administrative Appeals
Tribunal (AAT) The AAT process generally takes
between nine (9) to twelve (12) months from the
date of making an application.
You may be entitled to other forms of compensation
to assist with cash flow during this period.
It’s recommended you speak with a relevant pro-
fessional at your earliest opportunity to ensure your
insurances are appropriate for you.
RETURNING TO WORK
Your employer has an obligation to assist you in
rehabilitation to return you to work safely. Your re-
habilitation may involve vocational rehabilitation or
retaining for an alternative discipline if applicable.
You don’t have the right to choose your own reha-
bilitation provider, as a Comcare approved provider
is appointed for you by your employer. You must
attend provided you have capacity, you must attend.
If you are concerned about your rehabilitation pro-
gram or process, contact your union.
Getting the right advice from the beginning of your
claim can provide advantages that may be lost if the
claim is incorrectly managed despite how genuine
and severe your claim is. Ensure you’re armed with
the right information to empower yourself to make
the best decision for your present condition and
your future.
Call your union and get a referral to Slater and
Gordon, we can help you.
 MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OUT OF
CONTROL IN THE PILBARA
BY JEFF CASSAR
Recent revelations in the media
related to suicide rates amongst
workers in the Pilbara just high-
light what we’ve been saying for
years about the critical need for
employers to factor in adequate
downtime when formulating
rosters.
This union has been vilified
previously in the press for seeking
equal-time rosters purely because
it contradicted the narrative being
spouted by the top end of town
employers. There is a prevalent
tendency among the media in
Western Australia to just accept
anything that one of these big com-
panies says as being gospel truth.
But it doesn’t stop at the media.
Both Liberal and Labor state
governments treat companies like
Woodside, Inpex, FMG, Shell,
Rio Tinto, Alcoa and BHP etc.
like divine entities and constant-
ly exaggerate the value of these
parasitic corporations to the state
of WA. They turn a blind eye and
let them do as they please.
Issues aplenty
BY TIM O’CALLAGHAN
The Fremantle Doctor was in full
effect as industry representatives and
MUA rank and filers filled the room
to find solutions to sea fares mental
health issues.
Representatives from Sea Care,
AMSA, MUA, Hunterlink, METL,
plus HR reps from most of the bigger
vessel operators, and leading mental
health
professionals attended Sea Care’s
Mental Health Workshop to hear
speeches from key note speakers.
As issues were identified one by
one, it became transparent that the
factors were both interconnected and
extremely complex;
Key problems identified included;
• long swings/ fatigue
• long duty hours/undermanning of
vessels & sleep deprivation
• isolation on board
• the effects of injury or death on
coworkers
• substance use
Big companies in WA have a
license to rape and pillage with
impunity (even though most of
them don’t even pay tax) based on
the flimsy premise that we need
them because they employ West
Australians.
The real truth is that if they were
brought to heel and decided to just
walk away and leave our shores
(this would never actually happen
but while we’re dreaming…..),
there would be a line of other
multi-nationals ready and waiting
for the opportunity to take their
place even if it meant they had to
comply with actual limitations.
It’s time to stop bowing to these
false gods and make them ac-
countable like the rest of us!
State Labor, you need to break
ranks with the Liberal Party, cre-
ate a separate agenda, start to rep-
resent the interests of constituents
and stay in government; instead
of kowtowing to corporations in
the hope that they might repay the
favour one day and toss you a job
after you’re voted out!
• lack of communication with home
(phone and internet)
• job insecurity / lack of on-going
work
• bullying / harassment
• failure to report problems on board
for fear of being put off.
While the above issues were deemed
to be some of the contributing fac-
tors at sea, there were other issues
which effected members out of work
including their inability to afford to
revalidate certs/quals, their difficulty
in finding opportunities to retrain and
adapt to the decline and mortgage
stress, poverty and bankruptcy.
Sea Care is seeking proposals and
new initiatives to enhance mental
health at sea and at home. All mem-
bers are welcome to contribute to this.
Comrades, if you are doing well,
reach out to the ones that are strug-
gling.
If you are not OK, reach out for help
and talk to someone now. You are not
alone!
SEEKING HELP
IS NOT HARD
BY VIKING
On November 20, 2018, I
attended a mental health work-
shop that was hosted by Sea Care.
AMSA spoke about surveys con-
ducted on ships that come in and
out of Australia.
In my opinion, the snapshot that
it provided in relation to our Aus-
tralian seafarers, did not provide
a true picture of the mental health
problems faced by seafarers, as
only a very small percentage were
involved in the survey.
Hunterlink touched on a range of
mental health benefits; from simple
steps to avoid fatigue, including
getting sufficient sleep, staying hy-
drated, eating the right foods, and
just taking a moment to stop your
mind and breathe.
Early intervention and knowing
how to help your work mate if you
see they are struggling, is not as
hard as you might think.
Asking that person if you can pass
on their number to Hunterlink and
have Hunterlink contact them, rath-
er than just handing them a card
with the number on it, will result
in nine out of 10 people getting
the help they need. In comparison,
if you leave it to the stressed-out
person to call, nine out of 10 will
NOT make that call.
Hunterlink also touched on; de-
pression, anxiety, workplace issues,
relationships and the language we
should use to address the elephant
in the room. For example, using
“substance use”, instead of “ice
addiction”, or “alcoholism” is
important to avoid belittling an
already struggling mentality.
If we want to see a positive change
in the mental health scene, we need
to be solution focused, and create
a platform for which our brothers
and sisters can be provided with
the assistance that they need.
Christy Cain also addressed the
room with the usual passion that
we know of him.
He made it very clear to the em-
ployers that the 150,000 members
of the new and powerful CFMEU
/ MUA alliance will not stand for
our members dying at work.
Kill a worker and go to jail.
That message, and the notion that
it’s time for employers to start
putting their workforce in a priority
seat, rang loud and clear.
What was presented, about some of
the mental health issues were real.
They were raw.
It was horrible and painful to hear.
So, I ask you: can we do more? We
must stand in unity and look out
for each other. Our mothers and
fathers, our brothers and sisters,
our friends, and ourselves.
Well Comrades, that’s my take on
the day; a good starting point for all
parties. There is more to be done but
working together we can make a dif-
ference. STAY SAFE OUT THERE.
MUA WA BRANCH
190 VETS
DANCED
AWAY
2018
ets, firstly, on behalf of myself
V and Jed we would like to wish
you all a very happy new year.
Another year and like all of us
we are getting older.
We are losing our regular vets who supported
all our venues to the end.
Last year we lost Ronnie Bryan, Michael
Regan, Donald Starr, Chris O’Sullivan, Rod
Hankinson, William Police, Francis Kallen-
berg and Colin Farrelly to name a few.
At the Christmas Life Members turnout in
Thanks to the crew of the GEO Cora,
who have donated to the Vets
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December at the East Fremantle Football
Club, about 190 attended.
I personally went around to all of the tables
with application forms to join the Veterans.
Only one member accepted my form.
It would be a great help if we could gather
more members to join the Veterans Associa-
tion.
We have had a change to the Life Members
turn out; we will require all members to show
genuine credentials by wearing their life
member badge.
VETERAN’S REPORT
I would like to give a big thank you to the
crews of Geo Coral and the Naila for their
kind donations.
I have purchased another gopher for our vets.
Thanks again John Mears and Illya Smith.
We now have four gophers, two wheelchairs,
two walking aids and one large walking stick.
I have sent out 75 application forms for 2019
and so far, but have only received 34 back.
Let’s hope we receive some more shortly.
Kind regards, Jimmy Donnelly
Veterans’ secretary
41
 MUA WA BRANCH
ABOVE: Singapore Congress Ruth
Blakely RMTU and Mary Prout;
and RIGHT Maryati (Indonesia)
and Mary Prout.
42
WOMEN’S REPORT
Dinner
Julia
with
O
n August 29, 2018, at the Aloft Hotel Perth in River-
dale, I was given the opportunity to be a part of a fund-
raiser for Hannah Beazley ALP, the candidate running
for Swan. The guest speaker was the first female Prime
Minster of Australia, Julia Gillard.
I was lucky enough to be seated right next to Hannah Beazley. We
spoke of family, the education system, health and working in a
male-dominated industry. Hannah is a very strong, intellectual and
charismatic woman.
As Julia was giving her speech, I couldn’t help but admire how
clear spoken she was and how engaged the entire room was. Since
watching her rip into Tony Abbott in her misogyny speech, there was
already a level of established respect. Julia spoke of her position, as
Chair of Beyond Blue, a non-for-profit mental health organisation,
women in leadership - scholarship program - and the global partner-
ship for Education.
My night was going great. Conversations flowed, plenty of laughs
and great food and beverages followed. I felt completely spoiled. I
headed home at 10:30pm although we were meant to wrap up at 9pm.
Thank you to my union for giving me such an amazing experience.
IU
Catherine Shardlow
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MUA WA BRANCH FROM THE MEMBERS

PORT = JOBS = HISTORY

MUA WA members and supports have
Fremantle Port
been busy on social media, having their
say on some big issues.
Here are a few of their posts:

OUTER HARBOUR

FRACKING

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MUA WA BRANCH FROM THE MEMBERS

CRUISE SHIPS

44 RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019

 MUA WA BRANCH FROM THE MEMBERS

CHRISTY STICKS IT TO PREMIER MARK MCGOWAN AND

ANTI-ENVIRONMENT MINISTER STEVE DAWSON

INDUSTRIAL MANSLAUGHTER

RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019 45

MUA WA BRANCH
2019 FEDERAL ELECTION
Time to throw out LNP
ere we go! Finally, we
H are at that time in the
election cycle of the
Federal Parliament
where we get to choose our next
Government.
I imagine that many members are
feeling like I have been over the
last six years under this disgusting
Liberal/National (so called) Gov-
ernment. It is sickening to think
that many of the true Australian
rights our forefathers fought for
have been attacked and they have
tried to gag your right to union
representation.
The current government reintro-
WA LABOR FIGHTING FOR
ABORIGINAL AMPLOYMENT
Our first nation brothers and sis-
ters have been let down time and
time again by Governments in this
Country.
As usual, the MUA has led by
example in the maritime industry
by ensuring equality and oppor-
tunities for Aboriginals when
employers have neglected their
responsibilities.
During the last two terms of a
46
duced the ABCC and attacked
construction workers for standing
up against bastard employers. All
the while construction workers are
dying on the job from a piss-poor
safety culture. Employers are given
free passes, with no regulation in
the labour hire industry leading to
mass increases in the exploitation
of casual employees.
Under Tony Rabbot, Malcom Turd-
ball or Scott Morman Morrison,
the Maritime industry has suffered
and suffered greatly. We have been
belted pillar to post in attempts to
further demolish Australian Seafar-
ers sailing in Australian waters.
Colin Barnett State Government,
we did not see any real change in
supporting our first nation people,
particularly in employment and
training.
In WA, we would remember
Barnett tried to close Aboriginal
communities without offering any
assistance, to relocate or and give
no attempts to support them.
Since getting into Parliament, the
McGowan Government has been
strong on the issue, proactively
putting in place stern guidelines
The waterfront has been fighting
hard to maintain its push on safety
while ports are being sold off for
a buck in the NT China took the
spoils.
I love being a member of the MUA,
and since becoming a member 10
years ago I have felt privileged to
be part of the strongest union in
Australia and our industrial, social
and political outcomes prove that.
Most of all the membership in this
great union never shies away from
telling you how it is. They don’t
hold back, which is one of the rea-
sons why I feel we are so strong.
Members, your opinion counts and
Anthea Cutter, Kyle McGinn MLC
and Rita Cutter - Wiluna, WA
that streamline indigenous em-
ployment... And not just the token
casual role, but actual business
opportunities and contracts.
We have seen the Minister for
Aboriginal Affairs make it manda-
tory on all State projects that there
will be minimum 1% indigenous
content, increasing a per cent each
year. Also, the development com-
missions in the regions have been
shifting their focus under Min-
ister MacTiernan to ensure local
content is maximised, including
MUA IN PARLIAMENT
your vote counts. Under a Labor
Government we will have the
power to restore and work towards
rebuilding our industry along with
other great albeit disappearing
Australian industries.
If we don’t unite and get out there
and fight for the WA Labor Party
by making the calls, knocking on
the doors and engaging with the
everyday Aussies who has been
forgotten by the Liberals… we
could see another term under the
Liberals.
Ask how you can help out at the
next stop work meeting, or call the
Branch to find fight for our future.
indigenous employment.
A prime example of this is the
state barrier fence being rebuilt
to stop the wild dogs from taking
over farming country.
The first rollout saw Aboriginal
contractors secure the work in
the Goldfields and the Murchison
Region. These are great outcomes
for the locals in them areas.
Together, with the Government, I
will continue to fight for our broth-
ers and sisters to close the gap.
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MUA WA BRANCH
FIFO MENTAL HEALTH REPORT
Enough is Enough!
The FIFO industry has been swept
under the carpet for years with
the age old saying, toughen up
princess.
I will be the first to acknowledge
that we still have mental health
issues in the offshore oil and gas
industry and also across the water-
front. But one thing that has been
made very clear to me over the
past two years is that the mining
industry is far behind us.
In the maritime sector, the MUA
punches hard against employers
on health and safety. This has been
our number one for our members
for many years. Why you ask?
Well, I believe it is because we
have such a dense membership.
The offshore is around 98% union
membership, which has given
workers strong representation at
EBAs. The Mining industry has
been smashed for years and unions
driven out.
What happens when workers are
left unprotected? The employer
takes everything and leaves noth-
ing. Casualisation happens, leaving
you stuck with labour hire and no
one but yourself to defend unfair
dismissals and safety concerns.
This has led to a culture of fear in
the workforce and the attitude of
if you want the job then you had
better keep your head down and
shut up.
Four weeks on and one week off
is toxic to the mental health of
employees and their families. It is
directly responsible for negatively
impacting mental health and well-
being issues.
A September 2018 report provided
for the WA Mental Health Com-
mission called Impact of FIFO
work arrangements on the mental
health and wellbeing of FIFO
workers surveyed over 3000 FIFO
workers across multiple rosters
and has found that 33% of FIFO
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MUA IN PARLIAMENT
Kyle McGinn
OUT IN THE ELECTORATE
MINING & PASTORAL:
Pilbara | Kalgoorlie | Kimberley |
North West Central
241 Hannan Street KALGOORLIE.
P: 9022 7003
E: MiningPastoral.McGinn@mp.wa.gov.au
workers have mental health issues I stand for local residential
in Western Australia alone. employment first and foremost,
This 500-page report contained followed by all FIFO on these
many recommendations, that of rosters. If the employers are the
great relevance and I believe all ones to make the change manda-
on their merits, should be imple-
tory, employees will accept this
mented.
and the industry can rebuild from
The report asks the employer, the
the suicides and bad mental health
government and the employees to
record we see today.
engage these recommendations.
I strongly believe workers in Once it is standardised, employees
the Mining industry have been can unite to ensure their work-
under-represented, which has al-
ing conditions and pay rates rise
lowed unhealthy rosters to become
the norm. appropriately as well.
As you may have seen on social You can see the summary of the
media, I have been publicly vocal report at: www.mhc.wa.gov.au/
in asking all employers of FIFO to media/2548/impact-of-fifo-work-
change all their roster to the equal
arrangement-on-the-mental-health-
time roster, or short shift rosters
such as eight days on, six days off, and-wellbeing-of-fifo-workers-
or five days on two days off. summary-report.pdf
ORGANISE ON INSIDE TO FIGHT FOR CHANGE ON THE OUTSIDE
It is no secret that Maritime workers in Western Australia are political
animals.
You just have to do a Google search to see the impact that the WA
Branch has had over the years on outcomes.
We cannot sit back now and think we have done enough. We must
continue to organise, organise and organise again, because your future
in the industry is at stake.
MUA members are generally loud ‘n clear on their views and politics
is no exception. We must understand that in order to make change we
must unite together and form our view inside the tent, not outside of it.
We could join minor parties and have a whinge about what we don’t
like, knowing full well they will never be in government and will
never have the power to legislate any of the outcomes we want.
Or we can continue to fight like hell to ensure major parties such as
the WA Branch of the Labor Party don’t forget about working class
values and never lose their way again.
Join our struggle comrades; we need you to help fight for your rights.
Don’t just stand on the outside throwing stones. Join us and burn the
place down.
I am looking forward to seeing you all at this year’s joint MUA,
TCFUA and CFMEU Conference, and I urge each and every one of
you to join the party. Renew your membership, encourage your family
and friends to join and be active in the fight for everyday Australians,
because if we don’t fight, we lose.
In Solidarity
The Hon Kyle McGinn MLC
47
 MUA WA BRANCH POLITICAL REPORT

It was a busy year for

the WA Branch “You can’t fight for one

L
ast year was a busy one at the
Branch and 2019 is shaping up to Report by
be even busier. Since the August BEN LAWVER environment to kill another
edition of the MUA newspaper was ORGANISER
down here in Cockburn
published, we have done a
substantial amount of work to push back against
0424 828 473 Sound. We had ReThink the
ben.lawver@mua.org.au
the outer harbour lobbyists and build on our Link and Save Beeliar
foundation within the Labor Party.
SEPTEMBER
Wetlands, but some of the
Lobbyists have infiltrated the Government’s
Westport Taskforce and are willing to say any- folks who seemed to be
Together with the Fish Army and Naval Base
thing to get Labor committed to building a $6
Shack owners, around 500 folks showed up for activists are more lobbyists.
billion automated port in Cockburn Sound.
These special interest insiders have even
a community rally at Challenger Beach.
“Whether its Liberal or Labor,
attempted to get the MUA thrown off the Speakers expressed their concerns about the whatever Government is in
Westport Taskforce simply because we negative impact a massive outer harbour would
consistently bring facts into the debate and are have on the marine environment in Cockburn there up at Parliament House,
beginning to see traction for our position in Sound, as well as what would happen to public they need to understand the
importance, the significance,
the broader community and halls of access to the beaches and the leases at the
Parliament.
Naval Base Shacks. One of the speakers, Corina
AUGUST Hayden, who campaigned against the flawed ROE and what this place
The outer harbour lobbyists were not happy 8 proposal, had this to say: means to us.”
when the MUA held a public forum in late Rally against the Outer Harbour
August, with more than 600 people attending.
The Fremantle Town Hall was packed for the
event with standing room only for members of
the public who wanted to hear from industry
experts talk about the future of our Port City.
This was the first time in the Westport process
that industry experts from unions, stevedoring
companies, trucking companies, and port
logistical engineers all came together to voice
their opinion on the future capacity of the
Fremantle Inner Harbour to handle our state’s
growing freight task.
Without a doubt, and all of the experts agreed -
Fremantle is best positioned to handle our
growing trade for decades to come.
A new outer harbour? #ItsNotNeeded
Like and share the community Facebook page
www.facebook.com/NoOuterHarbourinKwinana

Members and the Fremantle community turn out in good numbers at the Freo Outer Harbour Forum

RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019 49

MUA WA BRANCH
Rally against the Outer Harbour
From page 45
A few days after the community rally, the WA
Branch held a briefing at Parliament House for
all available members of the Labor Caucus.
Christy and Adrian spoke to a filled caucus
room of Labor Party members from every fac-
tion and explained in detail why an outer
harbour just isn’t needed.
Several members in the room came up after-
wards and thanked the MUA for giving them
straight facts and appreciated the information.
OCTOBER
As Westport Taskforce reference group mem-
bers, we were asked for our opinion and com-
ment on a draft version of the What we have
found so far Report.
This was a great opportunity for the MUA to
provide feedback on the Report before it was
made public. In total, our branch submitted 17
pages of feedback.
In our view, the entire draft report was filled
with biases skewing toward closing
Fremantle and building a massive outer harbour
in Kwinana. There was so much bias we had so
separate the various kinds into categories:
Goal Bias – where the stated definitions of suc-
cess skewed toward a specific outcome.
The draft report stated that because of several
unique factors it was best to compare West
Australia’s freight needs with other Australian
cities.
But success was defined in one section as being
competitive with other, much larger, internation-
al ports.
50
Language Bias – when the words used to de- harbour and why it just isn’t needed.
scribe something lend themselves to a
This report reiterated the points made by Christy
preconceived outcome held by the author of
and Adrian during the pollies briefing, but also
those words, rather than allow the reader to form ensured any WA Labor Caucus members who
an independent opinion based on the facts. missed the in-person discussion also received
The language bias was sometime subtle, such as the same information.
describing the freight corridors around Freman- The Westport What we have found so far Re-
tle as “historic” and other locations as “strate- port was finally released in mid-December. The
gic”. final version released to the public was signifi-
cantly different than the initial draft given to us
Sometimes, solving the exact same problems
for comment in early October.
were described as opportunities for one location
while another location used language describing Whole sections had been re-written and the
the issue as being insurmountable. obvious bias supporting closing Fremantle had
The consistent theme in the language bias we been significantly reduced (but not eliminated).
observed was always skewed to favour the You can read a copy of the Westport Report
outer harbour being built in Kwinana. What we have found so far yourself here:
Fact Selection and Omission Bias – One www.mysaytransport.wa.gov.au/WWHFSF
example of this bias found in the draft report
was when the author of a section included actual
dollar costs of congestion at some key locations
around Fremantle Port, but no similar costs to
congested rail and roadways at other locations.
By selectively presenting the “cost” to the
economy at only one location, it created bias
toward a specific outcome.
After submitting our 17 pages of feedback on
the draft Westport Report, the taskforce delayed
its release by more than six weeks while some
major edits went on behind the scenes.
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER
It was during this six-week period between No-
vember and mid-December that the WA Branch
bombarded press outlets and the Labor Caucus
with information, by releasing individual chap-
ters of a 40-page report we authored on the outer
RANK&FILE VOICE FEBRUARY 2019
MUA WA BRANCH
A
s 2018 neared it close, the WA
Branch sent a delegation to the
(rescheduled) National ALP
Conference in Adelaide. The
work we are doing within the
ALP in WA has really set the bar high for our
comrades in other parts of the country and be-
cause of our efforts, the CFMMEU managed to
score significant wins within the Labor Party.
At the Conference we saw one of our own rank-
and-file members, Mich-elle Meyers, sworn in
as VP and our new combined delegate strength
with the CFMEU resulted in TWO CFMMEU
representatives on the ALP National Executive
as well as a coveted seat at the National Exec
Admin table.
On the policy front, Christy spoke to the Confer-
ence about the need for tough national industrial
manslaughter laws. He got everyone’s attention
at the start of his speech by asking for a minute
of silence to reflect on all of the workers who
had been killed on the job and by the end of his
remarks everyone in the hall was shouting, Kill
a Worker, Go To Jail.
The resolution for a Shorten-Labor Government
to pass Industrial Manslaughter Laws (based on
the Queensland model) within the first year of be-
ing elected passed the Conference unanimously.
Vicki Helps addressed the Conference about the
need for a revitalised Australian Shipping sector.
The resolution for Australian flagged ships, with
workers on those ships earning Australian wages
and conditions, was also passed by the Confer-
ence unanimously.
ACTU Secretary Sally McManus presented the
Change the Rules campaign and introduced a
sweeping set of platform changes including:
• establishing a new Pay Equity Panel in the Fair
Work Commission
• delivering wage justice
• transitioning casual workers into part time or
full-time work
• cracking down on sham independent contracting
• stopping the unilateral termination of
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MUA Seafarer Vicky Helps
campaigning for Australian
shipping at the ALP National
Conference
Enterprise Agreements by employers
• restoring penalty rates
• allowing workers to bargain across multiple
employers
• scrapping the ABCC and the ROC
It would take almost an entire paper to list all
the positive resolutions passed by this Confer-
ence and how committed the ALP is to restore
fairness in this country.
It wasn’t just the number of resolutions that
passed that I found inspiring, but how specific
the commitments were and the willingness of
the ALP Federal Parliamentarians to embrace
their union values and roots by adopting strong
resolutions as official platform policies.
All-in-all, after attending the National ALP
Conference, we can report with confidence that
a Shorten-Labor Government will have our
interests, and the interests of the majority of
Australians, as their policy priority.
Securing positive policies at the national level
doesn’t mean our work is done.
In the coming year, there are still many
challenges to be faced in West Australia.
In 2019, the battle to keep Fremantle an
operational and publicly-owned port will be
won or lost.
Right now, the momentum is going our
direction, but even with the facts in our favour
we are up against deep pocketed special
interests who continue to lobby the Labor
Government non-stop.
Our campaign to stop this horrible outer harbour
proposal will kick into high gear in the coming
months and will only be successful if each of
you gets involved.
You don’t want 2020 to be the year you wish
you did more to save our port.
WA Labor will be holding their state conference
in August and many of the platform items adopt-
ed at the last state conference could be removed
unless they are affirmed again in 2019.
POLITICAL REPORT
Christy Cain arguing
for Australian shipping
& Industrial Manslaugher
Laws at the ALP National
Conference
Coastal shipping policy, resolutions support-
ing a working port in Fremantle, Industrial
Manslaughter, and more will be under threat if
we don’t ensure our delegation is full for this
conference.
As we know here in WA, getting good policies
into the Labor platform is just the start of mak-
ing change happen.
We need to hold Labor pollies accountable and
continue to grow our influence within the party
itself to turn the platform into action. This is why
together with the other Progressive Labor unions
we are launching an ALP membership drive
during the first months of the year, aimed at
continuing the growth that resulted in the MUA
recruiting nearly 250 new members and estab-
lishing two new WA Labor branches in 2018.
You can renew you WA Labor membership
online at www.walabor.org.au/renew
Or you can join the ALP online at –
www.walabor.org.au/join (be sure to select the
Maritime branch)
There are elections coming in the as well. In
addition to the volunteer opportunities, a federal
election will be likely in May and local council
elections will be held in October.
Of the over 400 local council positions that will
be elected in 2019, 10 per cent were unopposed
the last time they were up and over 110 of the
positions saw fewer than one out of every three
eligible voters casting a ballot.
The MUA is holding a candidate training for our
members who are interested in learning what
it takes to run a successful campaign for local
council or knows someone with strong union
values who might be a good candidate.
This new training program will initially focus
on a small number of races and provide MUA
members with the tools to run and win in these
local council elections.
Thank you to everyone who helped make 2018
a success and look forward to working with
everyone in the coming year.
Ben Lawver
51
 Help deliver decades of job security
and keep Fremantle a working port

MUA helps secure 21 year leases (7-7-7) for

Fremantle container terminals and the 6000
logistic workers who work in and around
Fremantle and associated workplaces.
Hon Alannah MacTiernan MLC, Minister for
Ports, (pictured) should be commended for her
decision to back in Fremantle wharfies.

Join the campaign to stop

the lobbyists’ $6 billion
outer harbour.

IT’S JUST NOT NEEDED