Yesterday Victorian union members turned out at Port Melbourne in support of MUA’s campaign to end the extreme exploitation that is occurring on Carnival Cruise ships based in Australia.
“Carnival Cruises is a multinational tax avoidance and workplace exploitation machine, bringing in workers from some of the poorest economies in the world and paying them as little as $2.50 per hour,” Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) Organiser Shane Reside said.
“It's disgusting - this has got to be the worst labour exploitation we have ever seen, and it's happening in plain sight".
Carnival Cruises is exploiting a loophole in the Coastal Trading Act, flying workers in to work on short term contracts. Workers join the ship, sail for a period anywhere up to 12 months and then at the conclusion of their contract, they are driven back to the airport and flown home. While they are in Australia, working on Australian home-ported vessels, along the Australian coast, with predominantly Australian passengers on board, they are being paid wages commensurate with third-world economies. In addition to extremely poor pay rates some workers are reportedly working up to 300 hours per month, with some workers reporting going weeks below deck without seeing daylight.
The limitations on visas also mean staff are often worried about raising concerns about their work conditions due to fears they would be unable to stay in Australia. “When they seek to complain or raise these issues, they are being told to shut up, accept it or they’ll be moved on,” Reside said.
Danae Bosler, Assistant Secretary at Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC) said "There is not a single ordinary Victorian who thinks that paying people $2.50 an hour to work in Australia is okay. This is such an extreme example of what billionaires will try and get away with if they think no one is looking. The Victorian union movement has a message for Carnival Cruises: if you think you can bring your ships of shame to Melbourne without a fight you've got another thing coming".
Shane Reside said "Carnival has imported the labour conditions of Bali or Phuket to Australia but are still charging passengers Australian fares. Where does all that money go? Straight into the pockets of the multi-billionaire American owner. This is an ultra-profitable dirty racket, plain and simple".
The MUA assures members that they will continue to fight for fair pay and conditions on all Carnival Cruise vessels in Australian waters. "When companies like Carnival behave like this it casts a cloud over all of us. We will not stop until this ugly exploitation is stamped out for good."
If you didn’t make it to the action this morning, you can still support the campaign by sharing the MUA social media posts and signing their petition.
Petition link - MUA petition - End Carnival's Exploitation