Logging On

By National Secretary Paddy Crumlin

Another tragic fatality in the stevedoring industry is reported in this journal. We want guarantees from the industry that you come home from work safe and whole. Everything else is secondary. Every death and serious injury in the workplace is one too many, so we're determined to have some good come from these grievous losses.

Clearing the Decks

The Howard Government is predictable if nothing else. Leave nothing to chance has been their motto over their years in office. In danger of losing an election? Well fabricate an issue guaranteed to be both divisive and capable of creating fear in the electorate. Remember the Reith magnifying glass, a magical instrument that created children being thrown overboard, and the Let's Make War with Iraq initiative? Not enough labour to break the waterfront? Well let's train some in Dubai (small irony that one). Workers still joining unions? Well let's carve out every conceivable protection they have under workplace legislation. Still got a merchant navy? Let's hand out permits like how to vote cards on polling day.

It's a government that is methodical in a rat cunning sort of a way.

And of course they are covering all the bases now for the upcoming election. It's largely predictable behaviour that most of the electorate are awake up to. But what's the option? Relying on their record of public service, social justice, honesty and transparency doesn't make the list for sure. Getting interest rates down? So back to the shitcanning, wedging, dissembling and general political hooliganism that's worked for them so well in the past.

Brian Burke? That is a good one - all he and his offsider amount to is a good role model for Young Liberals. You couldn't put an ace of spades between the character of Brian Burke and John Elliott, Larry Adler or Peter Reith. Anyway Burke would probably come out ahead in that contest; at least he wasn't fussy about which side of politics he was working his rorts with.

Their action of clutching at this not-so-straw-like opportunity to reel in their increasing unpopularity in the polls looks more like a race for the lifeboats. If anything Burke should be prosecuted by the fashion police as one of his worst crimes. What about the Panama hat and sunnies? It's enough to frighten dogs and small children.

The real story of course is that the Howard Government is desperate for another smother, and why not? They've pulled it off before, we've got a war in Iraq to show for it, a war not only sickening but placing Australia at the head of one of the worst examples of political, human rights and diplomatic vandalism ever seen. Ditto for our treatment of bona fide refugees. Ditto for labour rights, women's rights, indigenous rights, public infrastructure, social welfare, education and housing affordability and quite a bit more.

Watching the villains squirm now gives a bit of pleasure to the viewer, but more importantly for most workers in this country great heart that we may be seeing the back of them.

Even under pressure they're still methodical. Do you reckon its any accident Telstra has been taken off the people and given away for a song, or that Qantas is getting thrown out of the window in the same way? This is a government that will remain exclusively loyal to the big end of town right to the end. That's why the Murdoch newspapers and other big media speak so lovingly about them. Left on their to-do list, the Howard Government is still hard at work diluting cross media ownership laws so their mates can bulk up a bit more.

After all, the next best thing to looking after things in Canberra is to retire to the same board rooms you are looking after. They figure they need the payoff for all that hard work in the "public" interest and of course, those board rooms are about the only workplace in this country where pay packages are growing faster than the mortgage on a first house.

Fighting from the Front

We had a great turnout for the Day of Action; the atmosphere at the "G" in Melbourne was unreal. Seeing the MUA and Mining and Energy banners flying and decorating the sight boards, together with the playing of the DVD presenting our long and proud history of protecting our members and generally having a go up on the MCG big screens, would bring a tear to a glass eye.

Two of our young film makers, Viron Papadopoulos and Cooper Silk were down on the pitch recording the moment interviewing Barnesy and everyone else in sight and generally making sure there was a proper record of the event. The large turnout of workers at the "G" joined in with our members fighting from the front all around the country on a pretty special day.

Now to finish the job, we've made a commitment in the marginal seats campaign and the continuing mobilisation in the lead up to the election. No one's copped it more than us. Many generations of maritime workers also fought from the front for job rights and conditions, but now it's our turn to show our form - bring it on.

A Fair Go for All

This is the time of year when International Women's Day brings the issues of women into more clear focus. Let's all recommit to our campaign against violence against women, equal rights in the workplace and against harassment and bullying. Howard's workplace legislation has seen women in particular increasingly fall behind in wages, including through casualisation and the use of individual contracts. In the workplace and in society generally, women remain the victims of elitism and prejudice. Sexism like racism is directed at dividing workers. Don't cop it and let's all do something about it.

One Too Many

Another tragic fatality in the stevedoring industry, Peter Ross, is reported in this journal. We want guarantees from the industry that you come home from work safe and whole. Everything else is secondary.

We're working with state legislators and have approached the Federal Minister for Industrial Relations for a national code of occupational health and safety for stevedoring workers, similar to what Australian seafarers have under the Seacare legislation.

We're not holding our breath that the Feds will sign up easily considering their WorkChoices legislation specifically rejects the involvement of the union in any OH&S training; however the States can shake a leg on it.

Shipside work - in particular in the stevedoring industry - is unique, with every ship a different proposition, effectively a workplace from another country. The two major stevedoring employers, Toll Patrick and DP World have indicated their early support for the process. As Chair of the ITF Dockworkers together with Jim Tannock MUA dockers delegate, we are taking our campaign into the international arena for an enforceable code of practice for all affiliates. Overwhelming support for our call for an international campaign has already been received. Every death and serious injury in the workplace is one too many, so we're determined to have some good come from these grievous losses.

Here to Stay

The MUA activists and delegates from the Stolt Australia dispute were recognised and awarded by the ACTU Executive for their grit and determination in protecting not only their jobs, but also every seafarer's job in the country. There are plenty of working women and men out there between the hammer of the Howard government and the anvil of their anti-worker legislation. Existing agreements are systematically expiring now, with conditions being set adrift. More new workers are being offered jobs only on the basis of signing individual contracts, reducing penalty rates, leave and other entitlements. Other workers are being made redundant with no legal recourse in order to accelerate the introduction of casuals, contractors and cheap overseas labour on skills visas. Australian workers are doing it harder than a one legged tap dancer a recent international survey has found, with longer and more irregular unpaid hours worked than in any other developed country.

Workers taking action show great courage in the face of the heavy penalties and institutionalised standover behaviour of the legislation. The ACTU Executive recognised that many workers, and in particular delegates, face tough and increasingly hopeless situations. The spirit and tenacity of these delegates and tens of thousands of others around the country continues to drive effective collective organisation in the delivery of union campaigns. They are a great inspiration. All union activists do their job not really looking for a wrap, but it's still nice when you get one. Congratulations comrades.