***Big Union Backs Andy Hall in Criminal Defamation Case to Silence Criticism

THE INTERNATIONALTransport Workers' Federation (ITF) has condemned the trial of a British human rights defender Andy Hall, which opened in Thailand on Tuesday, as a clear example of victimisation and cover up.

Andy Hall is facing criminal and civil cases of criminal defamation, which have been brought against him by Thailand's Natural Fruit Company following his research into the company for the report 'Cheap Has a High Price,' published by the Finnwatch NGO.

The report exposed smuggling of migrant workers along with the use of child labor, forced overtime and violence against workers. The ITF has stated that Thailand itself is on trial over these abuses.

ITF president Paddy Crumlin commented: ''This trial is indefensible and should be halted immediately. Thailand should be acting against the appalling treatment of workers and for freedom of opinion, not victimising one of the people who rightly brought this awful state of affairs to wider attention.''

ITF general secretary Steve Cotton today appealed directly to the Thai Pineapple Association to disassociate itself from the case brought by its member company against Andy Hall. He told the association:

''Mr Hall's investigations into the fruit and fish industries in Thailand helped expose shocking abuses there to a worldwide audience. Therefore, this matter has now become of relevance to constituents across global food supply chains and international civil society at large.

''The ITF believes that the prosecution of Mr Hall is a misuse of the law to punish public interest whistle-blowing.

''We urge you once again to use your good offices to persuade the Natural Fruit Company and its CEO to withdraw the charges and enter into constructive dialogue with Thai unions and workers' rights defenders to address the serious allegations raised by Mr Hall.''

Andy Hall is detailing the case against him at the websitehttp://andyjhall.wordpress.com, through which he can be contacted, as well as via the @atomicalandy twitter account.

His case has attracted widespread support from across the trade union movement, including the IUF (International Union of Food, Agricultural and Hospitality Workers), which is partnered with the ITF in the Catcher to counter initiative, and a spectrum of trade unions, union organisations and NGOs.

FROM TRANSPORTARBEIDEREN:

FROM RADIO NEW ZEALAND:

***Aussie banned ship detained

rbridge

139 words

1 September 2014

Radio New Zealand News

RNZNEW

English

2014 Copyright Radio New Zealand Limited

An international maritime inspector is attempting to check on the condition of crew onboard a cargo ship which is being detained at the Port of Tauranga.

The Liberian-flagged vessel was banned from Australia because of its treatment of workers and its unseaworthiness, before arriving here yesterday.

Maritime New Zealand has identified 14 deficiencies on board relating to crew and the boat's seaworthiness, eleven of which must be fixed before it can leave port.

The Maritime Union's National Secretary Joe Fleetwood has labelled it a 'ship of shame'.

Joe Fleetwood says a representative of the International Transport Workers Federation is in the process of checking on the condition of workers and safety on board the vessel.

FROM SEAFARER TIMES (PHILIPPINES), ALSO ALL ABOUT SHIPPING:

***ITF/IUF delegation meets ‘disdainful’ treatment in Philippines tuna dispute

Submitted by Helmsman on Wed, 09/03/2014 - 22:57

ITF/IUF delegation meets ‘disdainful’ treatment in Philippines tuna dispute
2 September 2014 received via email

An international ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) and IUF (International Union of Food, Agricultural and Hospitality Workers) delegation to the Philippines has expressed deep disappointment after it was met with hostile treatment during a mediation session with seafood giant Citra Mina over the dismissal of workers to prevent them forming a union.

Members of the ITF/IUF Catcher to counter team – a joint programme between the two global unions – are in General Santos to coincide with the tuna festival, which celebrates the massive contribution the industry makes to the Philippines economy.

They planned to use the festival as an opportunity to engage with employers, including Citra Mina, over labour rights in Philippines fishing and working together to promote a productive and profitable way forward for the industry.

A campaign to reinstate United Workers of Citra Mina Group of Companies Union (UWCMGCU) members dismissed in September 2013 has attracted widespread support from the church and community in the Philippines. Hundreds of people turned out to a solidarity rally on Sunday with a further workers’ event planned for Wednesday.

The issue has been a matter of national interest in the country, and has been reflected in national and international press coverage. Some 8,000 support messages were also sent in a global online action

Liz Blackshaw is programme leader for the joint ITF/IUF Catcher to counter initiative, which works with fishers to build worker representation and improve conditions across the fishing industry. She stated: “The fishing industry is crucial to the Philippines. At the moment the violations of workers’ rights which are going on mean that the country is in potential danger of being sanctioned by the European Union over illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. No-one wants that to happen; it’s bad for business and it’s bad for workers.

“We want positive productive relationships with fishing employers in the Philippines. What we’ve experienced so far with regards Citra Mina is nothing short of outrageous. There is just no willingness to negotiate and we’ve been left with no confidence in the national conciliation and mediation board (NCMB), which has been handling the process between the union and the employer.”

“We’ll still be using the GenSan tuna festival to highlight that we want to work with employers not against them, and we hope that Citra Mina will come back to the table in good faith.”

FROM THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE:

***Hapag-Lloyd hits Africa shippers with Ebola inspection fee

Hapag-Lloyd will begin charging an Ebola inspection fee on all shipments to and from West Africa from Sept. 21 as mandatory health checks on ships are expected to cause lengthy delays.

Cargo shipments to Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria will be charged $250 per 20-foot container and $350 per 40-foot container. For shipments with the origin or destination U.S., the inspection fee will be charged from Sept. 29.

In an advisory note to customers, Hapag-Lloyd said the World Health Organization had declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency as it continues to spread across West Africa.

“As a consequence, the Ivory Coast Port Health department has imposed mandatory health checks on all vessels that have called in countries affected by Ebola while at anchorage at Abidjan,” the German carrier told customers.

Only once all on board are confirmed to be in good health will the pilot will be allowed to board and bring a vessel into Abidjan port. However, the Ivorian health inspectors and quarantine teams can only check two vessels a day.

“Naturally, this will result in a huge delay as well as additional operational measures, including, but not limited to, diversion to other ports and extra handling, speed-ups, etc. The consequent cost exposure for Hapag-Lloyd is tremendous and we see no other alternative but to recover these costs through the cargo,” the line said.

There is no record of the Ebola virus being transmitted via international shipping, but the logistics community is taking precautions with both its crews and cargo in light of the outbreak.

More than 1,300 people have died from Ebola during the current outbreak, which began in December in Guinea.

The International Chamber of Shipping, in coordination with the International Maritime Employers' Council and the International Transport Workers Federation, released guidelines for shipping organizations last month to help stave off any possibility of crews coming in contact with Ebola.

Ships from the four countries are already being scrutinized at ports of call around the world. South African news outlet IOL News recently said a Liberian container ship was quarantined in South Africa before it was cleared of Ebola threat. IHS Maritime also reported a Chinese ship from Sierra Leone heading to Cape Verde was quarantined because of fears its crew and cargo had come in contact with the virus.

According to PIERS, the data division of the JOC Group, the four West African countries stricken with Ebola sent a total of 2,862 TEUs into the United States from January through July. Liberia and Nigeria were the origin of the lion’s share of that cargo. Among the heaviest volume commodities in those containers were cocoa beans, auto parts and miscellaneous rubber products.

FROM SHIPPING TRIBUNE:

***East Asia action week is under way

ITF inspectors and dockers’ and seafarers’ union members began an East Asian maritime action week on Monday in ports in Japan, Korea, Russia and Taiwan.

The event runs from 1-5 September and during it joint inspection teams will check and enforce decent pay and working conditions onboard vessels.

In Japan a rally will also be held at the premises of the Kotoku Kaiun company, which refuses to talk with union representatives

Source: Press Release

FROM TRADEWINDS:

***ITF congress gives approval to Cotton and Crumlin reign

Steve Cotton has been elected as secretary-general of the world’s largest maritime union, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

The ITF congress meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria, ended last week by electing him to the post he has held on an acting basis since David Cockroft stepped down in October 2012.

Cotton says the ITF now needs to think beyond national boundaries of its affiliate unions and work on a more globalised basis, reflecting the multinational nature of the logistics and transport conglomerates.

“Globalisation affects no group more than those working in the transport industry, so to achieve its mission of improving the lives of millions of transport workers across the planet, the ITF needs to truly think globally,” he said. “The mighty global economic engine has for too long been funnelling the majority of its wealth into the hands of the few and not the many.”

Paddy Crumlin was re-elected as ITF president for the next four years.

Meanwhile, the congress also approved a motion from UK-based affiliate union Nautilus International to expose bogus employment agencies offering jobs that do not exist to seafarers in return for a commission.

FROM SEAFARER TIMES:

***ITF congress hears Australia’s Barrow Island could be declared ‘port of convenience’

ITF congress hears Australia’s Barrow Island could be declared ‘port of convenience’
13 August 2014 received via email

Speaking from the ITF congress in Bulgaria today, International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) president Paddy Crumlin said Australia’s Barrow Island could be declared a ‘port of convenience’ unless Chevron tempers its union-busting efforts in the offshore oil and gas sector.

Chevron’s Gorgon LNG project off Australia’s north-west coast has overrun from USD37 billion to USD54 billion due to the company’s ongoing mismanagement.

But rather than take responsibility for its poor performance, parts of the company insist unions were to blame, said Paddy Crumlin, who is also national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).

“If Chevron continues to seek to exclude my union from an Australian island which will export natural gas then it will have to be declared a port of convenience,” Crumlin told the 43rd ITF congress in Sofia, Bulgaria.

“They are suing the MUA for no more reason than workers on the job ensuring that occupational health and safety standards are met.

"We have made attempts to reach out to Chevron, we travelled to their shareholder meeting in Midland, Texas, earlier this year."

It was there the MUA received an assurance from Chevron chief executive John Watson that unions were not to blame for cost blowouts on the Gorgon project.

Watson said he had "no intention of blaming organised labour for cost overruns or delays at Gorgon."

"Employers need to clearly decide whether they want to work with unions – and we’ll be there – or against unions – and we’ll be there as well,” Crumlin said.

The 43rd ITF congress in Sofia brings together almost 2,000 participants from 379 unions in 116 countries.