The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) is protesting over the federal authorities’s award of a particular license to Pacific Aluminium permitting the corporate to exchange the Australian bulk service CSL Melbourne with a overseas vessel.

CSL Melbourne, just like the MV Portland earlier than it, will contravene Australian coastal buying and selling legal guidelines after getting a brief license, in accordance with MUA, which is anxious over 16 Australians from the CSL Melbourne who at the moment are with out jobs. 

The vessel has been used to move alumina from Gladstone to the Tomago Smelter close to Newcastle for the final 5 years.

Pacific Aluminium, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, is shifting the CSL Melbourne to Singapore, and plans to exchange Australian crew with overseas employees for worldwide trades, in accordance with the union.

Crew members are reportedly refusing to sail to Singapore solely to get replaced with overseas employees on a overseas vessel flying a Flag of Convenience. 

Pacific Aluminium mentioned that its five-year freight contract expired on Dec. 31, and the vessel is simply too huge to service the Tomago smelter.

MUA Assistant National Secretary Warren Smith commented: “This isn’t a good enough explanation for the workers on the vessel or the Newcastle community. It simply doesn’t add up that the foreign ship chartered as a replacement is in fact larger than the CSL Melbourne, when the excuse given is that smaller loads will be carried.”

“This demonstrates past doubt that Pacific Aluminium is exploiting coastal buying and selling legal guidelines to easily exchange Australian seafarers with exploited overseas seafarers on as little as $2/hr, aided and abetted by the Turnbull Government’s administration of the licensing system.

Mr. Smith additionally criticized the federal government and lawmakers, saying that Senate was not in a position to retain Australia’s cabotage legal guidelines, which cowl commerce by home ports and using each Australian-flagged and Australian-crewed vessels.

“The Senate voted in November to retain these laws yet the Government has again pushed ahead with the issuing of a temporary licence. This is a slap in the face for the Senate and the workers whose jobs are on the chopping block and their friends and families in the local community. The government needs to be reminded that Australian jobs are important – these workers have families, kids, mortgages and bills to pay,” Smith added.