Workers at Associated Pulp and Paper's Burnie mill have returned to work after their bitterly fought three-week strike. The strikers maintained their seven-day, round-the-clock picket line under constant pressure from the company, hired thugs, the courts and often bitterly cold weather blowing in from the Southern Ocean. IAN JAMIESON and BECKY O'ROURKE spoke to some about their experiences and their expectations of the future.
There is a widespread feeling here that life will never be quite the same, particularly in the mill, but also in the town. Many are concerned about the uncertainties ahead, the troublesome unresolved questions in the back-to-work deal. But most are sure that the work force goes back on the job more united than ever, and more determined to fight for its rights.
Attitudes changed in those cold weeks on the picket line. Some of the strikers readily admit they initially had to be cajoled to join the strike, as they had felt very loyal to APPM. Some families have worked in the mill for two or three generations. But once that trust was broken, and management resorted to lies, deception and standover tactics, the workers drew closer to their unions and became increasingly adamant about their right to work with dignity.
Many who joined the strike with reservations went on to become fierce defenders of the picket and to develop shrewd assessments of all the implications of the struggle, including the ACTU's role. Many eventually voted for the return to work with reservations, realising that ACTU chief Martin Ferguson might be selling them a pup. But they were anxious not to be isolated from the ACTU, because that could have affected the morale and unity of the work force. Ultimately, it was better to go back united, prepared to continue the fight on the job if necessary.
A spirit of solidarity created on the picket line has already done much to repair the tears the company inflicted on Burnie's social fabric. The strike support group, Support Pulp Employees Committee (SPEC), involved hundreds of wives and friends of the strikers, leaving them with a much clearer understanding of the union movement and what it stands for.
Both workers and their supporters quickly developed skills they didn't know they had as, with coffee pots constantly on the boil, they became adept at explaining the issues in the dispute to newcomers and visitors. A newsletter produced daily by SPEC became the main source of information on the strike for families and supporters of the workers, both in the area and around the country.
The newsletter was initially part of an attempt to provide "emotional support for those wives who were unable to join their husbands on the picket line", says Julie Fraser, who put in a lot of time organising for SPEC. "We wanted to provide the wives with details of what use when the husbands went home from the picket the last thing some wanted to talk about was the strike. The wives felt more comfortable coming to us."
SPEC soon became a source of essential organisational back-up, encouraging people to join the picket lines, writing letters to newspapers and politicians, organising child-care and food supplies, and even investigating matters such as mortgage relief for those who might have faced financial difficulties because of the strike. "We set up teams of people to handle fundraising, relief funds, making badges, T-shirts, writing articles and producing the daily newsletter", says Fraser.
When police under court orders attempted to escort the handful of scabs into the plant, women from SPEC were among the hundreds who poured from the town to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the picket lines.
In less hectic moments, the picket rosters were often organised by women from SPEC, working to the same shifts that operate inside the mill. This helped to ensure that all the picketers could get sufficient rest. Women with young families, who found it difficult to get to the picket lines, were able to contribute by writing letters, making phone calls, preparing food, gathering sleeping gear and cooking utensils, etc.
SPEC was also important when the media began to lie about the strike, saying it was the work of a handful of union officials. "We stood up and said this affected the families and the community, not just the union officials and the workers. We started writing letters to the editors and politicians, telling them to put the story right", says Fraser.
A lot of support came spontaneously. The picket fire-pots were constantly supplied with firewood from countless supporters who gave up their time to support the strike. Pensioners, unemployed people and visitors from throughout Tasmania and the mainland came in a constant stream to the gates of APPM. Entertainers, musicians and actors helped to keep morale high, and spirits soared as messages of solidarity poured in.
The 10, and sometimes more, picket sites were spread more than a mile around the mill's numerous gates, making good communication essential to answer attempts to test and perhaps break the lines. Very quickly, supporters were able to provide all picket captains with UHF radios, enabling lightning responses to any signs of trouble. Largely thanks to this, the provocative activities of the dozen mainland martial arts security thugs — popularly called the Ninja Turkeys or the Sewer Rats — were neutralised.
The unity of the strikers was evident to all, and any previous ill-feeling virtually disappeared. It mattered little whether a picketer was a member of the CFMEU or cketers wore the badges of all the unions involved.
Despite the harsh weather, life on the pickets was at times exhilarating, as feeling grew that here was a group of people determined to take charge of their own destiny. Many expect the mill to erupt again, and it's no coincidence that the materials from the dismantled pickets are stored in the Burnie Trades Hall just across the road from the mill.
Julie Fraser says SPEC will continue: "We'll go into areas like price surveys, anything to do with the community, hospitals, schools, etc. Our aim is to keep the workers unified."
SPEC has also been in contact with workers and their families from another APPM plant at Wesley Vale, "and our message to them is: 'Don't wait until it starts, get your committee formed now'. That way, trust is formed and people know what you believe in and what you're there for."