The Howard government's attack on the MUA threatens trade union and democratic rights. A petition, launched by Green Left Weekly and the Democratic Socialist Party, calling on the ACTU to initiate a national day of action in support of the union has won support from a range of union officials and delegates. It is reproduced below so that Green Left Weekly readers can sign and distribute it.
An urgent call by concerned trade unionists and citizens to the ACTU, state and regional trades and labour councils and individual unions.
The stakes in the dispute between the Maritime Union of Australia and the anti-union alliance of Patrick, the National Farmers Federation and the Howard government could not be higher. At risk is the democratic right of all workers to organise in unions to defend their standards of living and working conditions. It's time for the union movement to counterattack.
A defeat for the MUA would be an invitation to employers around the country to go on the offensive against workers: it would disastrously weaken the position of organised labour, which is already being hobbled by the "Reith-Kernot" Workplace Relations Act.
The ACTU has recognised how vital this confrontation is. At its last congress, Bill Kelty, with the Cairns dispute still fresh in everyone's mind, promised that the whole trade union movement would get into the trenches to defend the MUA.
Battle for public opinion vital
Now that moment of truth has come. It's clear as daylight that the Howard government, in cahoots with the NFF and Patrick's Chris Corrigan, has chosen Webb Dock as the battleground on which to break the power of the MUA (and hence all unions).
It's high time the whole union movement stepped up its campaign of support to the MUA. The job of winning the battle for public opinion has only just begun. The ACTU has produced one leaflet and a few meetings have been held by other unions. Given the merciless media barrage against the wharfies and their union, this is totally inadequate. Indeed, despite the widespread support for the wharfies from other workers, we have to admit that there are many who have been swayed by the efforts of Channel Nine and all the rest.
It's true that the MUA still has considerable industrial muscle. But defeating Reith, Corrigan and the NFF may well involve the MUA (and other unions) defying the Workplace Relations Act. This will intensify government and media hysteria, especially in the run-up to the next federal election.
The best counter to that is having broad masses of working people understand the MUA (and the union movement's) case, including the need, in certain conditions, to confront anti-union laws. That's another urgent reason for immediately boosting the solidarity campaign with the union.
Build a national day of action
The MUA can win only if the widespread pro-MUA sentiment is mobilised and organised. As a start unions and state and regional TLC leaderships should call on the ACTU leadership to hold a national day of action in solidarity with the MUA as soon as possible. The NT and ACT TLCs have already passed motions supporting this.
This national day of action should involve at least a four-hour stoppage of all unions. It should be organised by campaign committees open to all delegates of affiliated unions.
Only in this way can sufficient numbers of workers (who are itching to help the MUA stop Howard's union-bashing) be organised to go out into the shopping centres and the country towns to put the MUA's side of the story.
Individual unions should convene their own delegate and members meetings to hear the MUA case, and rouse them to get involved in the general campaign to support the union.
Critical moment
This is a battle that concerns all workers. In the wake of the growing economic insecurity in our region, the Howard government is preparing a new assault on living standards. The government's submission to the Industrial Relations Commission wages hearing says it all: not even miserably inadequate across-the-board safety net rises, but some crumbs for one in 10 workers only. To be guaranteed success in such schemes, Howard and Reith need to smash our strong unions first.
Only if it changes gear immediately can the union movement thwart this attack. We must all do our bit to rally workers in this country behind defence of the maritime workers. If they can't win, what happens to the rest of us? There isn't a moment to lose.
Endorsed by (positions for identification purposes only):
Peng Au-Yong; Ron Baker; Zanny Begg (education officer, Queensland NUS); Bob Bunnett (delegate, DEETYA, CPSU); Val Butler (delegate, Telecommunications Section, CPSU); Leisa Butterworth (Nurses Association); Marina Carman (vice-president, Sydney University SRC); Kim Comerford (delegate, ASU); Mark Cronin (section councillor, Centrelink, CPSU); Ben Courtice (secretary, Australian Tax Office, Moonee Ponds, CPSU); Theo den Brinker (director, post-electronic publishing, Bangkok Post); Val Edwards (ACT Branch Executive, CPSU); Nick Everett (delegate, Centrelink, CPSU); Tom Flanagan (delegate, Student Assistant Centre, Darwin, CPSU); Karen Fletcher (delegate, ASU); Ray Fulcher (co-education officer, Melbourne University Student Union); Joe Gallagher (industrial organiser, SA CFMEU); Gordo Harris (delegate, NT branch, CPSU); Doug Heath (industrial organiser, NT CFMEU); Robert Graham, delegate, Department of Health, CPSU); Daniel Judge (delegate, Centrelink, CPSU); Ana Kailis (delegate, Centrelink, Cannington, CPSU); L. Lanscor (organiser, ACT, CFMEU); A.G. Markey (CFMEU); Jim McIlroy (delegate, Centrelink, CPSU); Cate McLeod (deputy president, Queensland Branch, CPSU); Tony Rodriguez (CFMEU); Ron Schofield (branch organiser, NT Branch, ALHMWU); Neil Schubert (PTU); Melanie Sjoberg (industrial officer, SA Public Service Association); Jeremy Smith (Branch Executive, University of Ballarat Branch, NTEU); Philippa Stanford (SA section councillor, Centrelink, CPSU); Chris Slee (section councillor, Australian Tax Office, Casselden Place, CPSU); Tim Stewart (NT section councillor, Telecommunications Section, CPSU, delegate, Northern Territory Trades and Labour Council); Trevor Surplice (branch organiser, NT Branch, ALHMWU); Mark Taylor (delegate, ASU); Stan Thompson (secretary, Australian Tax Office, CPSU); John Tomlinson (senior lecturer, social policy, Queensland University of Technology); David Vickers (Australian Tax Office, CPSU); Alistair Wallace (delegate, Australian Tax Office, CPSU); Tristan Webb (CPSU Tax Section); Gordon Whalley (delegate, Queensland Branch, TWU).
If you agree with this position, add your name (include your union position for identification purposes only) to the list of endorsers and send it to your state TLC and the ACTU with a copy to your union and Green Left Weekly. For latest news on the web about the MUA campaign, see http://www.peg.apc.org/~glmelbourne/mua. Return to: Support the MUA, PO Box 515, Broadway, NSW, 2007; or fax to (02) 9690 1381. For information, phone 02 9690 1230.