Global Picket

International solidarity wins the day in PORT

The port picket has gone offshore. A half century in the making, the International Transport Workers' Federation has perfected the tactic of uniting maritime workers of the world. The labour movement has successfully taken its battles to the global arena operating above national anti-boycott laws on the same level as the multinational shipping and port operators.

Napier will go down in history as the world's first successful offshore picket. Not one ship bypassed the port, but seven. While the workers gathered outside the gates at the traditional community assembly to taunt the busloads of scabs going onto the wharves to take their jobs, to sing and sizzle sausages, the real blockade was being assembled on the world's oceans.

It was the last week of November. In Australia, exhausted and elated campaigners still numb with the federal election victory, which saw out the Howard Government, were drawing breath and preparing to work with the new Labor goverment. But across the Tasman renegade non-union stevedoring company, ISO, was poised to renew its attack on New Zealand waterside workers.

On the ground

When Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Trevor Hanson confirmed the Port of Napier had decided to contract out container stevedoring operations on November 30, the unions immediately began organising their resistance globally.

Around 85 jobs, some permanent, mostly casual at Hawke's Bay Stevedoring Services would go to a rogue operator, the Mount Maunganui-based stevedore ISO.

"The Hawke's Bay Regional Council-owned Port of Napier has a responsibility to the local community and should operate in the public interest by employing a skilled, secure and unionised workforce," Trevor said.

Local workers prepared to defend their livelihoods, their families and their local community, from the inevitable attacks on wages, conditions and health and safety.

Four national officials of MUNZ had met with the port CEO earlier in the month. The meeting did not resolve anything and the Port of Napier moved to injunct against industrial action in the courts - but failed.

Port picket

On December 15 with all attempts at mediation going nowhere Napier workers gathered outside the port gates - 100 strong. Maritime workers began arriving from other ports and ships to support their fellow workers for a cold and cash strapped Christmas vigil.

After a phone link up between the National Secretary Paddy Crumlin and Trevor Hanson, the National Secretary declared Napier " a port of convenience" under ITF policy and Assistant MUA National Secretary Rick Newlyn was charged with ensuring they were not alone. A delegation of MUA rank and filers from the east coast was pulled together within 24 hours and flown across to join the picket on the ground. Dave Schleibs (Victoria Deputy Branch Secretary), Steve Husband and Joe Deakin (Sydney Branch), Joe Carr (Southern Queensland Branch delegate) and Paul Petersen (Brisbane branch) brought donations and messages of solidarity.

Solidarity

"This attack on the MUNZ workforce in Napier is another example of capitalist attacks on international unionised maritime workers and will meet with all the resistance at our disposal," the SNSW branch resolved. "Be strong comrades, the maritime unions united will never be defeated!!!!!"

"Actions like this and attacks on workers must be condemned and fought at every opportunity," wrote Paul Garrett, Assistant Secretary of the MUA's Sydney Branch.

"Comrades, We fully endorse your struggle and the campaign in this difficult time. We pledge our full financial, moral and industrial support," wrote Keith McCorriston, WA Deputy Branch Secretary.

Port of Napier and Ontrack, who own land on the Napier waterfront, threatened protestors with trespass notices. But they stood their ground hunched under tents and umbrellas in the rain. A continuous picket has been held at the port gates around the clock from 6am Saturday 15 December without incident.

"The only danger was when a vehicle carrying scabs refused to stop for a police officer on Saturday morning," said Trevor Hanson.

Donations

Tens of thousands of dollars in donations were flooding in from around the world. The MUA Victoria and WA branches had each donated $3,000 to their Kiwi comrades.

"A hardship fund is being set up to look after the workers, many of whom are casual, as they face a tough Christmas," said Trevor Hanson. "The company wanted to throw them on the scrap heap."

Groups of workers have been arriving from around North Island ports to relieve the picket line as mediation talks got underway again with New Zealand Council of Trade Unions President Helen Kelly.

Global picket

Meanwhile MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin had already geared up the unions' international operations. As chair of the dockers' section of the International Transport Workers' Federation and an ITF executive board member he alerted London HQ of the dispute.

Dockers section secretary Frank Leys broadcast the message back out to the worlds' dockworkers.

The ITF identified the ships scheduled to pick up cargo in Napier and warned the shipping lines the cargo was black. Loading the cargo in Napier using a non union workforce could make them subject to action in other world ports.

"NYK, Maersk Line don't want a bar of it," said MUA Assistant National Secretary Rick Newlyn. "They say it's got nothing to do with efficiency. It's madness. The scab labour can't even drive the cranes."

As the MUA delegation flew in, the international action began to bite. Three ships had been turned away. Shipping giants Maersk, NYK, Hamburg SUD, COSCO, MISC, MSC and ANL/CGM all agreed to bypass the port.

But Hapag Lloyd was the exception. Attention now focussed on the Canberra Express, due in Napier the next day.

After a phone link between the MUA in Sydney, MUNZ in Auckland and the ITF in London, on December 19, Paddy Crumlin called on all ITF dockworkers affiliates worldwide to contact the international shipping operator and express international determination to protect the Port of Napier from becoming yet another Port of Convenience.

He warned the attack on Napier, if successful would have detrimental effects on other unionised ports in New Zealand and beyond.

"This is to alert all dockers worldwide that the Port of Napier in New Zealand is confronted with a scab, non-union company that has been awarded the stevedoring contract for the port including both break bulk and terminal operations," he wrote.

"The support of dockers worldwide is required to ensure Hapag Lloyd and any other shipowner that uses the Port of Napier to stevedore their vessels utilise dockworkers employed on current national collective agreements and who are members of the only independent and ITF affiliated national dockworkers union, the Maritime Union of New Zealand."

By 3:10 AM on Wednesday December 19, without any industrial action necessary, ITF dockers secretary Frank Leys notified the Australian and New Zealand unions of victory. The Hapag Lloyd vessel, MS Canberra Express, thanks to international mediation would sail the following day without its cargo. The dispute was over. All three ships and seven multinational shipping lines had bypassed Napier.

Victory

It was Thursday December 20. Global solidarity had shut down the port.

"The ship wasn't worked," said MUNZ General Secretary Trevor Hanson. "Ships are now going past Napier and will continue to go past Napier, until agreement is reached that no jobs will be lost."

New Zealand waterside workers celebrated Christmas with a gift of international solidarity.

Trevor Hanson congratulated his members on their tenacity on 24-hour pickets.

"The port was effectively shut down during this dispute and now it will be back to business as usual. Shipping companies wanted a solution, we supplied one, and the port is back in action as of now."

"This is a massive victory," he said. "Global action has been decisive and sets a precedent for future rogue employers who may have a go at creating a port of convenience anywhere in the world."

MUNZ officials went down to the picket line on December 21 to break the good news shortly before 3pm.

"There was a great sense of relief that these workers will have work tomorrow and into the future," he said.

"Hey comrades of Napier and all MUNZ members. Well done for standing up and being counted," one MUNZ web posting proclaimed. "This moment in history you can tell ur kids and they can tell their kids.."yEs we Were There and we Picketed for 7 days with our Comrades from Around the country and Australia And We won and Got our jobs back..HoOrAa.." "LOCAL JOBS FOR LOCAL PEOPLE..NO MORE SCABZ ON THE PORT OF NAPIER"..well done and on behalf of local 13 members Kia Kaha TaTou TaTou..ToUCH 1 TOuCH AlL.."

In a letter of thanks to the MUA national secretary, Trevor Hanson wrote:

"Certainly your role as chair of the ITF dockworkers section was a significant factor in the successful outcome of the dispute, and highlights the benefits of the work by both yourself and the MUA in achieving this extremely important role.

"The deputation of members you supplied so quickly, willingly worked with us 24 hours a day including mediation and radio interviews. This was outstanding. The input of all six was recognised by all as magnificent.

"The networking that you facilitated between Frank Leys and Steve Cotton and yourself was invaluable and I am certain attributed a major part in the final victory.

"The relief of our local Napier members, both permanent and casual that their jobs had been saved by their actions of standing dedicated on the picket and the consistent support from our own union the MUA and the ITF had to be witnessed," he wrote. "Some of the casuals were openly crying. It was an extremely emotional occasion."

It was the first time a dispute had been won entirely offshore, blockading international shipping lines, but not the first time global action had turned a ship away. In the eighties WWF general secretary Tas Bull used his position on the ITF executive to get a log ship to bypass the port of Townsville during a dispute with a non-union company. International action did not win the day for the Liverpool dockers; the British unions were not a united front. But in 1997 the ITF operated above the boycott laws laid down by the Howard Government to win the day in Cairns by negotiations with a Canadian captain of the Java Sea. The ship refused to dock and the non-union operation collapsed.

Only weeks later the ITF successfully talked the Government of Dubai into expelling industrial mercenaries being trained up as a strike workforce for the Australian waterfront and Patrick Stevedores by threat of worldwide industrial action.

During the Patrick lockout action was taken against black cargo in the US, protests took place in Japan and India, but that was not enough on its own.

But Napier was different. It was the global picket and global organisation and global solidarity that turned the dispute on its head. In under seven days it was all over and not one container had been lifted from the dock.

Napier was the culmination of a half-century of developing global industrial action.