Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 09:54:42 +0100
From: Hugh Rodwell <m-14970-AT-mailbox.swipnet.se>
Subject: M-TH: [Fwd] MUA:War on the wharfies 12 May update


Here's the latest from MUA-update.

The stand-off continues.

Cheers,

Hugh

___________________________


News Summary - Tuesday 12 May
War on the Wharfies Homepage:
http://www.users.bigpond.com/Takver/soapbox/index.htm

CONTENTS
(12/5/98) Government anti-union campaign continues against wharfies

Apologies to recipients of this bulletin who have missed some of the
previous bulletins. I have been using a number of computers and had a
problem relocating the email address book. The information is all
available on the web page.
          -----------------------------------
News Summary - Tuesday 12 May
Government anti-union campaign continues against wharfies
The battle for the waterfront continues. It is far from over with
a potential to involve the whole Australian union movement in
support action. The battle has entered a "cold war" period, with
skirmishes here and there. Patrick workers are only back at work
as a result of a court interim order, pending the conspiracy case
in the Federal Court.

Peter Reith maintains his daily campaign of lies and distortions
and vengeance against the MUA. His leadership aspirations maybe
in tatters now, but he still holds the reigns of power in his
ministry. Reith's competitor for the Liberal Party leadership
stakes, Treasurer Peter Costello, has handed down an election
budget with few surprises which will please the business community
and enhance his leadership prospects. Costello may appear a
moderate, but his background is as a corporate lawyer. His legal
services were often used by the National Farmers Federation in the
1980s in union busting actions in Federal and High Court cases.
He was a joint founder and has actively contributed to conferences
of the right wing H.R. Nicholls Society. As a sample, read "Legal
Remedies Against Trade Union Conduct in Australia" (
http://www.exhibit.com.au/cgi-bin/mfs/03/nichvol1/vol16cha.htm)

"Honest" John Howard, our Prime Minister still backs Patrick to the
hilt, even though Patrick is alleged to have acted outside the law.

The Maritime Union is desperately fighting against the introduction
of non-union workers on the wharves. The National Farmers Federation
gained a toe hold in late January with the sub leasing of Webb Dock
from Patrick, allowing it to start training scab labour for the
waterfront. Those workers, although poorly trained, have now had one
month direct experience as scab labour working ships around Australia.

Peter Reith is attempting to bust the MUA's monopoly by imposing
outsourcing on the union and the administrator of the Patrick Labour
companies as a prerequisite for releasing money for redundancies.
The scab labour from the National Farmers Federation company, PCS
Stevedoring is waiting in the wings to undercut waterfront conditions
and salaries - in effect to ensure third world labour conditions on
the Australian waterfront.

Greg Combet, from the ACTU, dismissed these conditions as further
evidence of an alleged conspiracy between Patrick, the Government
and others to break the union. "It is further evidence that the deed
of company arrangement is intended to be the culmination of the
unlawful conspiracy against the MUA and its members. The union will
be pursuing massive damages as a consequence of this conspiracy."

The gaining of public funds is critical to making the companies
viable, as the corporate restructure undertaken by Chris Corrigan
last September left them with no funds to pay for retrenchments.
The administrators must secure a deed of arrangement for ongoing
trading or wind the companies up by May 25, the statutory deadline.

P&O Ports pressuring Union
P & O Ports is pressuring the Maritime union and is seeking up to
450 redundancies from its 1300 unionised workforce on the wharves.
Mr Richard Hein, the Managing Director of P&O Ports, played down
earlier reports on redundancies and said "It is our intention to
negotiate an agreement with the union to achieve fundamental change.
It's not our intention to do anything other than actively and
reasonably pursue our discussions with the MUA."

Reports say P&O is seeking: redundancies; outsourcing of some work
such as cleaning jobs; limit overtime by the introduction of an
average salary; and change the rosters for crane operators.

The MUA national secretary, Mr John Coombs, said the union was not
prepared to make any concessions. He said while the company had
discussed the proposed form of new enterprise agreements with the
union in general terms, there had been no discussion on redundancies
or work reforms. He reacted angrily to reports that the company would
use the full force of the Workplace Relations Act against the MUA if
it could not achieve its objectives via negotiation. "Dealing with
one (Chris) Corrigan is enough. I don't intend to embrace any others."

P&O Ports is eager to use the $250 million redundancy fund of the
Government.

Patrick obstructs in Adelaide, Newcastle & Townsville
MUA South Australian secretary Rick Newlyn claimed victory at the
docks this morning after overnight negotiations convinced P&O and
Sims Metal to hand over the stevedoring work of the Handy Althea
to major rival Sealand, to end the four day impasse which prevented
the ship's loading. P&O MUA members had refused to load the ship,
given that the work was originally contracted to Patrick. Up to 200
people have been maintaining a picket over the weekend to prevent
the ship being loaded. Sealand will use Patrick employees for working
the ship. Sealand's general manager Andy Andrews predicts ongoing
work for many of the 44 sacked Patrick workers in Adelaide.

Meanwhile, in Newcastle the Maritime Union (MUA) says Patrick
Stevedores is responsible for the delay in unloading the Bay Bonanza,
berthed in Newcastle since last Thursday. Patrick has sub-contracted
P&O Ports to handle the ship, but P&O workers have refused to cross
the picket line. Patrick employees are prepared to unload the ship.

Patrick has blacklisted three workers in Townsville which has
resulted in MUA members refusing to unload a ship carrying 500
cars in Townsville.

Scab loaded ships meet union & community protests
Several ships have been delayed in New Guinea. The CGM Gauguin has
been diverted from Bombay. When the Indonesian dockers unloaded the
scab ship Gaugan (after some protest) they found the containers had
been badly loaded, unsafe etc.

The Columbus Canada continues at anchor off Long Beach, Los Angeles.
It attempted to berth on Saturday and was met by a 1500 strong
community picket. The picket at the Matson terminal in Los Angeles
continues while the vessel is in the vicinity. Community and union
activists have also been alerted at other ports on the West Coast
of the U.S.A., to mobilise community protests if the ship attempts
to dock and unload. The ship is carrying a large quantity of
deep-frozen meat, mainly beef, which is being kept refrigerated
onboard.
----------------------------
War on the Wharfies is an independent web page which
contains:
* News reports on the Maritime Union of Australia fight against
  the rightwing attack by the National Farmers Federation,
  waterfront bosses, and federal and state governments.
* News on other union actions and progressive campaigns, or the
  general attack on workers rights or conditions

Takver-AT-onaustralia.com.au
         War on the Wharfies - essential links
 http://www.users.bigpond.com/Takver/soapbox/index.htm
             http://www.yll.org.au/mua
 http://www.InsideTheWeb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi/mb63212
-------------------------------

Visit http://www.yll.org.au/mua to send a free fax to John Howard.




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