2015-12-12
Greens stand with MV Portland seafarers and their families
The Australian Greens call on the Liberal government to revoke the temporary shipping licence granted to Alcoa, which is putting local jobs on the chopping block.
"We stand with the people whose jobs on the MV Portland are in jeopardy and with their families who face an uncertain Christmas," said Greens industrial relations spokesperson Adam Bandt MP.
"The Greens stood with maritime workers by rejecting the government's shipping deregulation agenda in the parliament and we stand with the MV Portland crew now.
"These seafarers have been working this Australian coastal route for Alcoa for years. They know Australia's coast and environment, and they are local workers who should not be put on the scrapheap and replaced with exploited overseas workers on unacceptably low wages.
"The Greens repeat our earlier call in the parliament for the government to revoke Alcoa's temporary licence, which is allowing Alcoa to replace the MV Portland with a foreign-flagged ship or ‘Flag of Convenience’ vessel.
The Greens also repeat our calls for Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to step in on behalf of these Australian workers. Alcoa receives huge electricity tariff subsidies from the Victorian government, which prop up their smelter operations in Portland.
"Alcoa can't take state subsidies for decades on one hand, and then absolve themselves of their obligation to employ local workers on the other," said Bandt.
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