BY ROBERT DARCY
SYDNEY — A leaked document that appears to be a management report of a secret meeting between some federal Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) officials and P&O Stevedoring to discuss further retrenchments of workers has caused concern to rank and file wharfies. How it was leaked is unknown, but if its contents are accurate then the anger being expressed is more than justified.
A passage in the report that has sparked particular outrage makes reference to the company's efforts to neutralise the delegates' committee at P&O's White Bay terminal in Sydney. The committee at White Bay is known to be one the most militant and well organised. The document states: "Patience in dealing with the small group clinging to outdated ideologies was encouraged... Negatives aside there has been progress made. Hypothetically if after warnings etc. we terminated a troublemaker would the MUA support the company's action? The MUA reserved its position and the company advised do it and let's see."
Obviously P&O management think that worker daring to fight for wages, safety and job security is an "outdated ideology". No doubt they would call wharfies rolling over and copping it sweet "modern thinking".
The leaking of the document comes at a time when MUA members believe there is a deliberate campaign by both P&O and Patrick Stevedores to break the union's influence by sacking and intimidating delegates. Over the last 18 months a number of delegates have been sacked, often on flimsy grounds. Even where the Industrial Relations Commission finds in favour of the employee and orders reinstatement the process takes several months.
Recent developments in the sacking of CTAL (P&O's Port Botany operation) employee Dave Hauser have particularly aroused anger and suspicion. Hauser has served as a delegate a number of times and is well known for his activity on picket lines during the Patrick dispute. CTAL sacked Hauser early this year and after initially taking his case to the IRC, the MUA national office has advised him that it will no longer be funding his case because it has legal advice suggesting his case will be "hard to win".
In September the delegates' committees representing all stevedoring workers across the Sydney ports called a meeting of the NSW Central branch of the MUA. The meeting condemned the national office's decision and called on it to pursue Hauser's case. Federal MUA officials have stuck to their position that the union stands to lose too much money in legal fees and court costs should Hauser lose.
An article titled "Democracy in tatters" from issue 28 of the Maritime Bulletin (the Communist Party maritime branch newsletter) expresses the feelings of many wharfies: "Secret meetings with the boss in luxury hotels are surely not the preferred method of dealing with the many problems facing the membership who are entitled to know exactly what is going on with P&O who on a daily basis are attacking MUA delegates."
It continues: "Since when has it been acceptable for officials to discuss the sacking of MUA delegates with [the bosses]? Why have these particular union representatives reserved their position when the company has proposed to sack a 'trouble maker' (read delegate) at White Bay. Does this fall in line with the current activities of White Bay management in their continual harassment and targeting of union delegates at that site? The fact that many delegates at White Bay have hefty files, built upon trumped up charges leaves members wondering what is happening and why more determined efforts have not been made to take the company on over these issues.
"To see delegates labeled as having outdated ideologies by some in the federal office is extremely revealing and an indication of just how far to the right sections of the MUA leadership have traveled."