Overseas fishing crews 'exploited' in NZ waters

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The Maritime Union is calling for a full audit of the joint venture fishing industry, following a report on the exploitation of overseas fishing crews in New Zealand waters, which has been allowed by the Government.

The union said the report, in today's Sunday Star-Times, "lifted the lid" on some what is going on in the industry.

Workers in rusty boats are being paid a pittance to fish in sweatshop-like conditions, being beaten and working for days without rest, the newspaper reported.

Maritime Union general secretary Joe Fleetwood said the union had been advocating for a complete clean-up of the joint venture fishing industry for years, to protect workers.

The industry had seen a recent string of sinkings, drownings, industrial accidents, reports of violence and abuse, health and safety violations, ship jumpings, appalling work conditions and failures to honour employment and wage agreements, he said.

The use of overseas employment agents to manage wages for foreign crews meant the worst practices of Third World economies had become established in the New Zealand economy.

"This situation is what is known overseas as social dumping, or the exploitation of cross-border labour in a globalised economy."

Mr Fleetwood said just because fishing vessels were operating off the New Zealand coast, that did not give operators a right to ignore New Zealand standards of employment.

"The New Zealand Government has taken an ineffective approach, simply because there are big profits in it for the companies."

He said the Maritime Union wanted a full audit of the industry, including the standard of vessels and opening the wages books.

According to the Sunday Star-Times article, the Government has known about the problem for some time.

- NZPA