MUA backs US dock workers

By MUA media release -

MUA national secretary and chair of ITF dockworkers Paddy Crumlin today pledged full support for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. The pledge comes as the ILWU employment contract with Pacific Maritime Association expires before the parties finalising a new collective agreement.

Mr Crumlin chaired the International Transport Workers' Federation Dockers' Section Conference in Stockholm in June. The meeting resolved to fully support the ILWU in reaching an agreed outcome for their new contract, the first since the controversial lockout of the West Coast dockworkers five years ago.

Conference delegates representing 400,000 dockworkers in 100 countries unanimously passed the resolution pledging the ILWU "all lawful means of international solidarity" and calling on the PMA to exhaust all means to negotiate in good faith for a successful outcome.

"We are concerned that despite negotiations running over weekends and into the night the employers have yet to reach agreement with the union," said Mr Crumlin. "We don't want to see a repeat of what happened last time in 2002 when employers locked out ILWU members for 10 days shutting down the West Coast and requiring government intervention. We backed the ILWU then and we'll back them again if required."

West Coast dockworkers have continued to load and unload cargo to keep the ports operating since the current employment contract covering 26,000 workers at 29 ports expired on July 1. The union has committed to work hard to reach a fair and reasonable outcome.

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