By Michael Bull and Ben Courtice
MELBOURNE — On January 28, the government's latest offensive against maritime workers was launched. National Farmers Federation front companies established a non-union beachhead on the Melbourne waterfront. Part of Webb dock at Port Melbourne has been leased for the training of non-union wharfies and to set up a new stevedoring company.
On January 8, the NFF registered three stevedoring companies as the PCS group of companies. Patrick, one of the two main stevedoring companies in Australia, sub-leased one of its three berths at Webb dock. During the night of January 28, 100 security guards contracted from the security firm Chubb, equipped with riot shields, escorted the delivery of equipment to the dock .
This is not just an attack on wharfies by the NFF. It is a conscious plan by the Liberal government, sections of big business and the NFF to destroy the Maritime Union of Australia, so it can sack wharfies, cut their wages and conditions, and introduce casual labour to the waterfront.
The Coalition government is deeply involved in this assault. Paul Houlihan, commissioned by the government last year to prepare a report on how to smash the maritime union, is, according to Australian Securities Commission records, a shareholder or director in the PSC group of companies.
The Australian Financial Review on August 15 reported on a secret Coalition plan, drafted by Houlihan, to break the waterfront union. Houlihan is a former NFF industrial relations director.
Central to this assault on workers' rights is the Coalition's industrial relations legislation, which promotes the use of non-union labour and bans solidarity strikes — "secondary boycotts" — by other workers.
If the government-NFF attack succeeds, new non-unionised workers will be hired and union assets will be seized. James Ferguson, industrial director of the NFF, said he had already canvassed with the minister of defence, Ian McLachlan (a former president of the NFF), about the possibility of using the army to break a strike.
According to the January 29 Sydney Morning Herald, a meeting was held in September between Ferguson, who is now a director of PSC; federal industrial relations minister Peter Reith; and NFF president and chairperson of the NFF stevedoring companies, Donald McGauchie, to discuss setting up their own stevedoring companies.
The Liberals decided to wait until the Workplace Relations Act — which strips conditions to 20 allowable matters, introduces individual contracts and undermines the right to strike — had been tested on other unions before an attack was made on maritime workers.
The limited fight-back by the public sector union leadership over the sacking of some 20,000 public servants last year buoyed the Coalition's confidence to take on other unions.
Workers picket Webb dock
Waterside workers picketing the Webb dock 5 in Port Melbourne are determined to fight to the end in their battle with the unholy alliance between the government, the NFF and Patrick. About 80 members of the MUA, have been on the picket around the clock, with up to 200 other unionists coming for periods each day to give their support.
At lunchtime on January 28, day-shift workers locked themselves inside on-site buildings after hearing that the NFF was being issued space on the wharf. After being addressed by the union leaders they decided to set up outside the front gate instead.
The Chubb security guards were confronted by angry workers, and forced their way through the picket line using riot shields. They were also carrying batons. The union later discovered that this equipment belonged to the state government. It is illegal for non-authorised personnel to use such equipment.
Patrick claims to be unprofitable due to union work practices and labour costs. Workers point out that after splitting Webb and Swanston docks, which were covered by a joint work force, Webb dock became the target for management disruption. The work force at Swanston dock were forced to work excessive overtime, while those at Webb dock got very little overtime. Slow moving cargoes concentrated on Webb dock compounded the problem.
One worker told Green Left Weekly: "Reith has claimed that we only move two cars an hour. On one rain-interrupted shift we moved over 500 cars — according to Reith's arithmetic that would take more than two weeks!"
Late on the afternoon of January 29, MUA secretary John Coombs addressed the picket line. He urged workers to remain disciplined and united, and avoid being provoked into incidents that could be used by the media against the union. ACTU president Jennie George, speaking at the picket line the next day, echoed the same concerns. "We can no longer use the old tactics", said George, referring to the financial penalties that both unions and individuals could suffer under the Workplace Relations Act for secondary boycotts.
Workers on the picket line realise that this dispute may last for some time. One worker pointed out that if they are defeated, "it will signify the end of the union movement and everybody will end up operating as casual labour".
Solidarity
Support for the MUA has come from the rest of the union movement. Union officials, delegates and workers from neighbouring docks, factories and construction sites all over Melbourne have visited the picket line to pledge their support. Union leaders have indicated that both international and political campaigns will be used to defeat the attack on the MUA.
Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, Leigh Hubbard, said on January 28 that demonstrations will be held in support of the maritime workers that will make the recent rallies in support of WorkCover "pale into insignificance".
On January 29, Victorian secretary of the Australia Manufacturing Workers Union John Corsetti joined the picket line with 250 workers from the naval dockyards. He pledged full support and said that the AMWU will escalate the dispute if called upon to do so.
A meeting of more than 50 unions met on January 30 to discuss action and pledge support. An initial action will take place on February 10 when union delegates will rally at Trades Hall at 10am, then march to a noon public rally at Parliament House.
Alex Bainbridge reports from Hobart that the MUA's John Coombs has announced that Tasmania would be guaranteed an exemption from industrial action if the Web dock dispute escalates. This position has been echoed by the MUA Tasmanian state secretary, Colin Griffiths. Griffiths warned, however, the exemption could be reversed if Tasmanian shipping bosses employ similar tactics to the NFF and Patrick.
Previously, MUA officials had said there would be no automatic exemption for Tasmania. The state government has been gearing up to help private companies' efforts to increase airlifting of freight.
Tasmania has often been granted an exemption from national maritime industrial action because of its island status and consequent dependence on sea freight. State MUA spokesperson, Mike Wickham, told Green Left that there hadn't been a strike on Tasmanian ports for "seven or eight years".
In response to state transport minister John Cleary's claim that the Tasmanian waterfront was in urgent need of reform, Wickham said Tasmanian ports were "second to none in Australia", comparable to the rest of the world and "better than New Zealand".