Logging On

Shaking on it: Minister for Transport Anthony Albanese with Paddy Crumlin

By Paddy Crumlin, MUA National Secretary

It was, and still is a set political and industrial piece unfolding like a B Grade horror show for working men and women and their communities around the world. "I was a Neo Conservative Slave" or maybe "the Monster from the Pinstriped Lagoon".

A WORLD NOT OF OUR MAKING

The clearest manifestations of course are the crunching , brutal and meticulously planned and executed labour disputes, usually lock outs, where the new generation of corporate and state militant ideologues takes strike action against the interests of their workers. The Patrick's dispute, the Liverpool Dockers before that and the ILWU Lockout in the negotiation of their last Agreement are examples in our industry.

Then there is next degree of pressure by the strategists working the agenda through, usually for developing countries. That's the lock them in the nick play. And if that doesn't work there's the bullet in the brain tactic to remove labour unrest. Rest in Peace Pedro Zamora.

Governments and corporate entities are often physically removed from the more drastic end of problem solving of recidivist labour activists and organisations, but really can places like Guatemala and El Salvador get away with the murder and mayhem if there was a strict adherence and proactive implementation of the highest standards of governance of human and labour rights by organisations like the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank or the IMO. It's not on their agenda. Removing constraints to the market, making money in other words, is the sole agenda item.

Of course this abrogation of any meaningful responsibility in this area by these types of global strategy networking and standard setting organisations ultimately translates into wider geo political dysfunction, war, and further abuses of humans against humans. Iraq, and the Middle East generally are typical outcomes of a global moral governance in absentia.

GREED IS GOOD ERA

The Award system securing minimum standards was shot to buggery, the Industrial Relations Tribunal a clearing house for civil litigation against unions, the ILO Convention on Freedom of Association meant to protect workers to join unions free of harassment had been mutated by the Howard Government into the right not to join a union. Large areas of workers' rights, entitlements, access to their union in the workplace, or even the union's legal right to be involved in occupational health and safety had been taken out the back and executed by the WorkChoices Legislation.

It was an industrial and political change that reflected both the entrenched elitism and arrogance of a government that enjoyed virtually the full support of the commercial and corporate monoliths of the new deregulated international marketplace - particularly the media, with global media and communications empires like that owned by Rupert Murdoch unabashed in their single minded editorial commitment to their own self interest, game set and match.

It was, and still is a set political and industrial piece unfolding like a B Grade horror show for working men and women and their communities around the world. "I was a Neo Conservative Slave" or maybe "the Monster from the Pinstriped Lagoon".

Big companies, well not just big, companies able to dwarf the economic power of most nation states, doing exactly what they want any old way under their militant adherence to the slogans of 'Shareholder's Interest', 'Small Government' and 'Free Trade'. Great euphemisms for Their Interest, No Government and Labour Exploitation.

Australia didn't have a political monopoly on the neo conservative and free market agenda of course. Unions in the US, Canada, Europe and Japan can and will at the Conference recount their own experiences in the face of the onslaught.

THE HARD WAY

The MUA has learnt the hard way that the interests of the membership, the working women and men of the maritime industry, can only really be promoted and defended by the capacity of our own endeavors, together with those of like mind.

In building effective trade unionism and a labour movement generally the crunch for us is effective organisation, nationally and internationally, one of the themes of our 2008 Conference of Members. Not organising bureaucracies or self serving administrations, but building on the wealth and dynamic of our collective and individual strengths and commitment into supportive activity. Action based on a methodical and structured plan to promote our and our families' needs at work and at home. Building Safe and Secure Jobs is the primary theme of the Conference. Action in defense of others, whether with the ITF in shipping through the Flag of Convenience Campaign, and in stevedoring through the Ports of Convenience Campaign Action in local networking at the ACTU and closer at hand in the national transport industry through our Transport Union Federation alliance with the TWU and RTBU, politically and industrially with our Fight From the Front Campaign partners the CFMEU Mining and Energy Division, or in the hydrocarbon and offshore industry with the Australian Workers Union organising campaign.

Fight from the front, and stick by your mates.

ACTION OVER WORDS

Activity, organised action in support of the trade union movement in our region, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Indonesia. Helping them to build their capacity knowing that will assist us in building ours. Action and commitment that ensures that the ILWU Contract this year does not end in another Lockout, and if it does than our brothers and sisters in the US prevail. Workers and their organisations linking more effectively across the world in answer to the derogation and abrogation of responsibility to a cleaner, fairer and more humane international society by the power organisations I referred to. Organisations like the WTO capable of delivering it but incapable to be motivated to do so . Workers don't even officially participate in a process determining what happens with their labour.

Activity reclaiming our shipping industry, securing death and injury free workplaces and docks, rebuilding an industrial environment with the Rudd Government that gives labour a voice again rather than turning us into criminals for pursuing our genuine and recognised rights.

Really that is the work of this 2008 Conference of Members. To build our union's capacity for this organized and focused activity, to better work with our brothers and sisters of the labour movement to provide a genuine alternate vision for the future, and to ensure the bastardry and moral corruption of the ideology and practice of the Howard years is consigned to the deeps once and for all in Australia. The week also recognises the wonderful collective victory of the Patrick dispute 10 years ago. A victory that continues to sustain optimism for that better vision. That is something to celebrate.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

The National Conference of the Delegates is as important as it gets in our union. It is where the directions our union takes over the next four years are determined in just about everything we do. It brings together delegates from every state and every industry the union covers, international and national friends and the National Councillors who were elected to office last year. A good way to set the course and one proven over many years to get results.

Four years ago at the same Conference we made decisions that would greatly change the way the union operates. It was a decision that recognised a lot had changed in the nation and in fact the world and there was little chance things were going back to the industrial environment we had operated in for so long.