Port of Call

Robert Coombs

SYDNEY: Labour icons Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke, Neville Wran and Greg Combet were among a mix of 350 MPs, maritime workers, union leaders and party faithful at the Balmain Tigers fundraising dinner and send off for Sydney Branch Secretary Robert Coombs.

Robert Coombs, Candidate

The MUA Sydney Branch Secretary won nomination as the ALP NSW candidate for Swansea in Newcastle after the sitting member was suspended by the party and charged by police for alleged drug and sex offences.

In Robert's letter to the national secretary notifying that he would be contesting a very different election than the union one, he recorded his deep appreciation to the members he has represented for three decades.

"It has been an overwhelming honour to serve the union as a ship's delegate, a MUA representative in overseas delegations, as an advocate for better wages and conditions of work, as an activist trying to improve social conditions and the overall standards of living for maritime workers and their families and hold senior positions in this great and internationally respected union," he said.

Robert shipped out of Newcastle as a 17 year old and went on to become an official in the Seamen's Union and the MUA.

"Should I be successful in winning the seat of Swansea for Labor at the March 24 election, it will be my intention to take to the NSW Parliament the magnificent principles of the progressive labour movement and ensure that the objectives of maritime workers, and the goals and aspirations of the general working class are best served and represented."

MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin was MC at the function, which raised an estimated $50,000 towards his campaign.

Guests included representatives from UnionsNSW, CFMEU, _AWU_, TWU_, Nurses, _AMWU, _ETU_, ASU, AIMPE, RTBU, the Credit Union, the Sutherland District Trade Union_, Tranby, SRF, union solicitors Slater & Gordon and _Mc Nally, the Greek Atlas and the _ITF.

House of learning

DONCASTER: 'Educate and organise' is the slogan of the new state of the art residential education centre for Britain's nearly 75,000-strong National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.

The centre was recently opened by Paddy Crumlin, MUA National Secretary, chair of the ITF dockers' section and Anne Scargill, co-founder of Women against Pit Closures. Anne was married to Arthur Scargill former leader of the National Union of Mineworkers during the UK strike and lockout in the 1980s.

Both Anne and Paddy are featured on the front cover of the January RMT magazine. (http://www.rmt.org.uk

In his speech at the opening Paddy Crumlin said that at a time of unprecedented attacks on wages and conditions, it was important to remember that the working classes around the world won battles because they equipped themselves with the tools to fight unjust laws.

"Globalisation has led to a polarisation of wealth and power and trade union rights are under attack," said Paddy. "But this house of learning will equip hundreds of reps to resist at the shop floor, where it matters."

The centre is designed to train workplace and OH&S reps as well as union officials and staff.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow described it as an exciting initiative enabling the union to offer its members IT training and other educational facilities.

"The labour movement has always aimed to educate as well as to agitate and organise," he said. "We will work with the RMT and other international maritime unions to promote delegate training and union development."

"We will work with the RMT and other international maritime unions to promote delegate training and union development," said Paddy Crumlin.

A virtual tour of the centre is available on the RMT website: http://www.rmt.org.uk

Norah Head Memorial

Peter Morris, former federal Labor transport minister, chair of the International Commission on Shipping, author of the Ships of Shame reports and long time friend of the MUA led this summer's dedication to seafarers lost in time of war on the Central Coast.

Guests at the December function included local members of parliament, church representatives and two survivors of the Iron Chieftain, sunk by Japanese during WWII - Don Burchell and Mick Harris.

"Each year in paying tribute to the crews of the MV Nimbin and the SS Iron Chieftain we are in fact paying tribute to all merchant mariners lost in time of war and their families," said Peter Morris.

An estimated 14,000 mariners served -12,500 on board Australian ships and 1500 on allied ships notably British and American.

After the war many former allied seafarers returned to Australia to settle on the Central Coast, among them seafarers who took part in the D Day landings in Europe.

"We remember and honour the courage, the commitment and the sacrifices of all allied merchant mariners in time of war," said Peter Morris. "We recall the vital role they have played in the defence of Australia and will play in the future defence of our nation. As the largest island continent in the world we have always been dependent on the sea and always will be dependent on sea transport."

Dalfram Dispute

PORT KEMBLA: MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin, together with the Chinese Ambassador, representatives of the Illawarra Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, the Lord Mayor, MPs, maritime workers and union leaders joined community members gathered in Port Kembla on December 4 for the unveiling of a plaque celebrating the Dalfram Dispute.

Also known as the Pig Iron Dispute the action of Port Kembla wharfies in 1938 against Japanese aggression put the port on the map and earned the union world acclaim.

Ambassador Madame Fu Ying unveiled the commemorative plaque with a moving speech recording the Chinese people's appreciation for the wharfies' refusal to load the pig iron being used by the Japanese in their invasion of China in the lead up to WWII (December 1937).

Notoriously known as the Rape of Nanking, the Chinese count 300,000 among their dead - massacred in an orgy of rape, murder, theft and arson.

BHP turned a blind eye, as did the government of the time. But the call for help was heeded by waterside workers in the US under Harry Bridges, the UK and Australia.

So when the Dalfram berthed at Port Kembla on November 15, 1938, the men at the pick up voted unanimously against loading the pig iron.

Branch Secretary, Ted Roach, had already warned his members of the Dalfram's mission. The union had word of the Chinese atrocities and warned that Japan was preparing to go to war with Australia. They foresaw the pig iron would boomerang back on us (as it indeed did) in bombs.

Despite government threats of sanctions the Port Kembla members stood firm. Attorney General Bob Menzies threatened to replace the wharfies with non-union labour, earning the name 'Pig Iron Bob' that would follow him to his grave.

BHP locked out its 4000 steelworkers, but could find no scabs in the union town. After a month-long protest the waterside workers reached agreement with the government that they would load the Dalfram but no further pig iron exports would go to Japan.

PHOTO: Branch Secretary Mark Armstrong, National Secretary Paddy Crumlin, Chinese Ambassador Madame Fu Ying and Deputy Branch secretary Gary Keane

Local heroes

MELBOURNE: The day of action was also a day of recognition of past struggles - a day to pay tribute to past labour leaders Bert Nolan and Geoff Swayn.

MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin officially named the auditorium in the branch rooms in their honour, with Geoff Swayne and members of Bert Nolan's family guests of honour.

"It is unity that is and always will be the lifeblood of the labour movement," said former WWF branch secretary Geoff Swayn. "Nothing is achieved without it."

Geoff told the gathering of 100 maritime workers who had returned to the union rooms after the day of action that union politics determines our wages, our hours of work and what conditions that have survived Howard's onslaught.

"Our members understood only too well we would get from employers, courts and government only what we were strong enough to take," he said. "Unity was paramount. Unity within and with the wider public defeated the Patrick Lockout in 1998. The conditions, defended then, have been legislated away by Australia's real terrorists, the Howard Government."

The Howard IR laws, he said, set out to threaten workers from speaking out against injustice and render their unions powerless except for expensive legal action, which is part of the rort.

"The right to strike comrades is the difference between a free man and a slave," he said. "That right and workers' rights in general must never be surrendered or gutlessly bargained away for short-term financial benefit."

Geoff Swayn spent 34 years in the union and he still holds his grandfather's AWU ticket dated August 8th 1906. He was a blade shearer pushing a bike to Queensland and back picking up shearing on the way.

Bert Nolan was in hospital on the day the rooms were named after him and sent his apologies. His wife and family, including his nephew AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten were special guests at the function.

"I deem it a great honour," he said. "I am quite humbled."

Bert Nolan was elected secretary of the Seamen's Union in 1957 a position he held for 27 years until his retirement.

"My wife was involved in the union before me, getting out and demonstrating," he said. "She was president of the women's committee before I was an official. With a backstop like that my 27 years went well."

"It was a different situation those days," he said. "We didn't have Howard but we had legislation equally as bad. We must continue to mobilise our forces, get rid of Howard and ensure when Labor replaces him we get the results we deserve."

Bert recently featured on ABC TV 7.30 report on the plight of Australian shipping under the Howard Government.