Sue Bolton, Melbourne
Within 24 hours of sending out a sign-on statement calling for Australian trade unionist Craig Johnston to be released from jail, unions, left parties and activists in 10 countries had signed their support for the statement.
Support has come from Canada, Britain, India, Japan, Mauritius, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa and the United States.
International signatories include the All-India Central Council of Trade Unions, the All-India Federation of Trade Unions, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), several branches of the Scottish Socialist Party, members of the SSP parliamentary group, New Zealand Alliance Party leader and Unite Workers Union secretary Matt McCarten, the Workers Party of the Philippines-Merger (PMP), Dale McKinley from the Anti-Privatisation Forum in South Africa, the left-wing party Lalit in Mauritius, United Auto Workers Local 2244 executive board member Caroline Lund and the Japanese Revolutionary League.
Add your name to the statement by emailing <sueb@dsp.org.au> or posting to: Free Craig Johnston Campaign, PO Box 12263, A'Beckett St, Melbourne 3006, Australia. Phone Sue Bolton on 0413-377-978 for more information.
Free Craig Johnston! Trade union leader jailed for defending workers
Former AMWU Victorian secretary Craig Johnston was jailed for nine months by the Victorian Supreme Court on August 27 for taking part in brief occupations of the premises of Skilled Engineering and Johnson Tiles during an industrial dispute over job cuts in 2001.
All social protest movements — the student movement, environment movement, anti-racism movement, women's movement and others — as well as the trade union movement, have at times occupied or walked through premises. Sometimes this has resulted in damage to property.
No trade unionist or political activist should be jailed for taking part in such a protest.
This nine-month jail sentence is totally disproportionate. For all the workplace deaths and injuries suffered by Australian workers every year — including thousands of deaths caused by James Hardie asbestos products — you won't find one single employer behind bars.
Despite 17 others being arrested during the industrial dispute at Johnson Tiles in Melbourne in 2001, only Craig Johnston has been jailed. The others either had their charges dismissed or received good behaviour bonds.
Some of the Johnson Tiles workers haven't worked since the dispute. Johnson Tiles has not been prosecuted for stripping away the livelihoods of the 29 workers, and yet one of the unionists defending jobs is in jail.
Fifteen unions in Victoria have signed a statement calling for the release of Craig Johnston. We join them in calling for the immediate release of Craig Johnston.
From Green Left Weekly, September 22, 2004.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.