Robert Darcy, Perth
Wharfies at P&O's Fremantle container terminal walked off the job for 12 hours on January 9 following the serious injury to a worker the previous evening on the ship P&O Nedlloyd Yarra Valley.
The injured worker who was crushed between two containers and narrowly escaped death, suffering head wounds, a torn shoulder and crushed ribs.
Workers are particularly angry that the injury occurred as a crane attempted a "twin lift" (picking up two containers at once) because they believe that the vessel's container locking equipment is only suitable for a "single lift".
Employee representatives on the terminal's occupational health and safety committee told Green Left Weekly that they have raised their concerns continually for six months but that P&O's Fremantle manager, Andrew Adam, dismissed them saying that the company would be a "laughing stock" if it reduced productivity by going to single lifts.
The day after the accident, it was revealed that the shipping agent for the vessels concerned had recommended in a letter to P&O management, that was not shown to the workforce, that the containers should only be single lifted.
This incident came on top of an injury to another worker late last year. He suffered two broken legs. His injury raised a raft of safety issues that workers believe have not been properly addressed.
At a workplace meeting convened by Maritime Union of Australia West Australia branch secretary Chris Cain, workers voted not to return to work until management agreed to meet them to immediately resolve the safety issues.
P&O took out a "127 order" in the Industrial Relations Commission seeking to have the stop-work meeting ruled an illegal industrial action. In the commission hearing P&O conceded to voluntary negotiation during which it backed down and agreed to ban twin lifts on the problem vessels.
From Green Left Weekly, January 21, 2004.
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