Maritime union representatives throughout the South Pacific region recently met in Auckland, New Zealand, to further discussions on the formation of a regional maritime federation.
Following an inaugural meeting in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, late last year, the latest gathering was attended by representatives of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MNZ), the Papua New Guinea Maritime and Transport Workers' Union (MTWU), the Australian Maritime Officers' Union and the Merchant Service Guild.
Issues reportedly presented at the meeting included the need for modern unions to operate at a global scale in the face of international corporate supply chains. The proposed regional union would also focus on international common interests such as the offshore resources and fisheries sectors.
With regard to Papua New Guinea in particular, the possibility of unionising the potentially tens of thousands of workers in the country's burgeoning oil and gas and fisheries sectors was also discussed.
Iain MacIntyre
