Wharfies play key role in ship victory

Success as L&B campaign moves to Europe

The Leonhardt & Blumberg campaign's success has continued in 2007 with another three vessels being signed to ITF-approved agreements bringing the total vessels covered to 19 out of a fleet of 45.

The three vessels Hansa Stockholm, Hansa Lubeck and Hansa Bremen were signed following boycott action in Sweden and threatened boycott action against three more in Germany.

L&B vessels sailing in Asia Pacific are now all covered by an ITF agreement. This is a tremendous feat. Two years ago Frank Leonhardt stated that the maritime unions in Australian and the Asia Pacific region were weak and not a single L&B vessel would ever be signed.

Frank Leonhardt is a prominent figure in the world's most powerful shipping nation Germany. He is third generation CEO of his 103-year-old company and also chairman of the German Ship Owners Association, VDR.

Leonhardt influenced his colleagues around the world to ignore the rights of international seafarers by refusing to allow any of his vessels to be covered by ITF international minimum standards.

The success so far in the campaign and future successes will signal a different message to ship owners around the world to say that seafarers' and wharfies' rights must be assured.

The ITF inspectorate in Japan first raised concerns about Leonhardt & Blumberg containership NYK Prestige chartered by NYK line in 2004. Every other FOC vessel owned or chartered by NYK line had an ITF approved agreement.

Naturally the Japanese were worried that this could signal a negative change of attitude by NYK line towards the ITF and so the work began in earnest with the ITF effectively campaigning against the Prestige throughout all of her trading ports.

Actions included protests against the German embassies and updated reports to dockers in countries visited by the Prestige.

Eventually the German union Verdi hosted an ITF international delegation to visit Mr. Leonhardt on his own turf in Hamburg Germany. Unfortunately he cancelled the meeting at the last minute but used this opportunity to insult and threaten the entire delegation which included representatives from Japan, Australia, Korea, Germany and the UK.

This targeted campaign continued to gain momentum throughout the ITF network and received unanimous support at the World Wide Inspectors Seminar held in Russia in September 2005 and at the ITF FOC coordinators meeting in December 2005.

What emerged was a display of international coordinated actions against the German owners and the charterers using a mixture of political and legal activities which eventually led to the signing of an ITF TCC agreement for three L&B vessels - NYK Prestige, Cap Lobos and the Damascus.

New strategies continue to be developed around the campaign which has evolved into an exciting and dynamic movement reaching around the globe - one which will not be over until the Leonhardt & Blumberg fleet is covered by ITF approved agreements.

ITF Australia with unwavering support from wharfies had great success in August last year with the signing of three container ships, the Hansa Flensburg, Hansa Rensberg and the Hansa Sonderburg.

It is of enormous surprise to L&B that actions in Australia have been so successful despite the Howard Government's dictatorial industrial relations regime and is testament to the resolve of Australian workers and their ability to be effective in the most difficult of circumstances.

Dieter Benze, head of the Seafarers' Section of the German transport union, Verdi thanked Port Botany Patrick wharfies for their unrelenting support of the L&B campaign at a special function held in their honour at the Sydney Seafarers Club last November.

Similarly in New Zealand the campaign has seen the development through the ITF of the "Tauranga L&B team" who have established meeting times around the arrival of L&B ships and meet with crane drivers in a very difficult industrial port.

The L&B campaign continues to be enormously successful and is a most significant targeted activity within the FOC campaign due to its unique coordination and its high profile targets. It is the only campaign not to be directed out of London and was subject to coordination by several key inspectorates including Australia, Japan, Korea, Germany, New Zealand, West Coast of the USA and Taiwan.

The real winners of course are the seafarers employed on the 19 L&B vessels who now have their wages and conditions protected and know that they can rely on the maritime union affiliates around the world whenever they need to.

The campaign will now move from being coordinated in the Asia Pacific area to European ports due to the lack of L&B cannon fodder left in our region.

Dean Summers, ITF coordinator Australia, has been elected the international coordinator for the L&B campaign and will participate in the European "week of action" preparatory meeting in Oslo set down for March this year.

It is well recognised in the ITF that this unique targeted campaign has brought inspectorates even closer together in the heat of battle and forged new and effective ways to counter the scourge of the corrupt Flag of Convenience shipping system.

It is equally recognised within the international shipping fraternity that the FOC campaign is evolving and capable of meeting new challenges set down by right wing governments committed to smashing the strongest unions, the maritime unions.

As the campaign slogan says: "Nowhere to hide Frank Leonhardt!"