Shipshape

Criminal Conspiracy

The MUA demanded an apology from then Minister for Transport John Anderson in June following his public comments that security checks would uncover "a significant number of people with criminal backgrounds" on the wharves.

The union pointed out that organised crime was far more likely to be run through the big end of town and the notably corrupt flag of convenience shipping system.

"We don't even know what's in the containers," Port Botany wharfie Paul Keating told a media conference. "And there's cameras everywhere. Why aren't they checking the crew coming off the ships? Or the containers.

Thereıs not enough checks on them."

Civil rights lawyers immediately jumped to the defence of the union (See letters). And the NSW ALP's state conference called on the Federal Government to address security risks posed by the reliance on flag of convenience vessels and the adequacy of existing security checks for foreign seafarers and containers.

It is not the first time a conservative government has tried to paint wharfies as crims. In November 1961 the Sydney Sunday Mirror reported William McMahon, IR minister, claiming the WWF had opened the waterfront to criminals. In fact, the union had helped find wharf jobs for a few former prisoners as a direct result of representations by parole officers of the NSW Prisons Department.

In the eighties the Government launched the Costigan Commission as an attack on unions, most notably the Painters and Dockers. The inquiry backfired when the infamous "bottom of the harbour" tax evasion scheme run by business tycoons, lawyers and other professionals was discovered.

The union has been working with the Department of Transport and other industry groups for six months to ensure maritime security measures work, while criminal background checks are restricted to terrorist related crimes.

But since the exposure of corruption among baggage handlers at Australian airports and the Corby case in Bali, the government is now saying drug smuggling related crimes would also be highlighted.

ITF Australia co-ordinater Dean Summers has studied the introduction of such schemes in the US and Canada and prepared a report on the issues:

"Such things as traffic convictions or smoking pot are ridiculous," he said. "Illegal trade in explosives, hijacking and the like are a different matter. The debate must be brought back to the matter at hand, which is terrorism. The idea that all terrorists are criminals, therefore all criminals are terrorists, is simplistic and unsubstantiated." Dean Summer's report points out that as terrible as other crimes may seem, they do not necessarily directly relate to terrorism.

"By allowing that extension to be drawn there is an argument to include the conduct of managers and directors of companies and corporations involved in every part of the maritime transport logistic," he said. "Management at this level have far more control over the direction of containers, ships and security than do workers." The union has also been successful in opposing the introduction of the smart card, which would have enabled computer technology to record an individual's entire history and make it accessible, much the same way a bar code is read at the local supermarket.

The legislation goes to parliament in August with the ASIO and police background checks and security cards coming into effect in November. Anyone who is found to have a conviction for a terrorist related crime like gun running, will not be issued with the security pass and will no longer be able to work on the waterfront.

Dean Summers full report on Maritime Security can be downloaded from the website.

Patrick Shipping

Talks between Patrick and the union came to a head in May with the company threatening a lockout and the union notifying the Commission it would take industrial action. But just hours before the workers were to walk off the job, the company offered a compromise. At issue were a self-mooring system, the caterer and an IR position.

Assistant National Secretary Mick Doleman, Victorian Assistant Branch Secretary Dave Cushion and crew representatives on the negotiating team took the Patrick proposal to the members and industrial action has been postponed to allow members a vote on the offer.

Patrick Redundancies

FREMANTLE: Patrick has lost cargo in the port and called for a surplus of 23 employees. The union was able to reduce the number to 18 and 13 members took voluntary redundancy or relocation. Another three members elected to go part time and were reclassified as PGE. But two were made redundant, with the company saying it selected those with the lowest promotions criteria as surplus.

The job committee is looking into the selection process, as there are concerns it was not done fairly.

Goliath Dispute

SYDNEY: A dispute erupted on the Goliath on May 12 over Cement Australia treatment of two MUA crew. The EBA provides for a six-month job trial, but both members were dismissed after only one swing.

Sydney assistant branch secretary Warren Smith was called to the vessel.

"If we'd copped them doing this we would have risked the company making several IR slots on the vessel casual," he said. "This was unacceptable to the crew and the union. To top it off, the two sacked crew members were not told they'd been dismissed until they inquired about their pay five weeks later!" It was only after loading came to a halt on the vessel and the Goliath sat alongside at Glebe Island for around four hours, that the company relented and agreed to reinstate the two members.

Whitsundays

The Queensland Industrial Commission has supported the union push to prevent charter boat employers from paying a casual loading of 23 per cent to be introduced over the next five months. The industry association that is party to the award argued for a 10 per cent casual loading.

Assistant Branch Secretary Dave Perry reports the Whitsunday Charter Boat Industry Award - State 2005, came into effect on June 1

Tug Trouble

After two years of negotiation, the union has reached agreement with AMS, which will cover Brisbane and Sydney members for the first time. But members were not entirely happy with the outcome and were unable to take industrial action.

"There is no doubt that competition in towage is going to have an effect on tug workers," said Assistant National Secretary Mick Doleman. "Shipowners are playing both companies off against each other as towage charges come down and the workers are caught in the middle."

Harbour Closure

Sydney: Public debate about the planned closure of stevedoring in Sydney Harbour continues, with Branch Secretary Robert Coombs sharing the microphone with Sydney Mayor Clover Moore at the Town Hall in May.

A crowd of around 600 people opposed to the closure of Darling Harbour included local residents, unionists and others in opposition to the Carr Government. Shadow Treasurer Peta Seaton also addressed the meeting.

Robert Coombs spoke on the historical significance of the harbour and the Hungry Mile how short sighted the decision to close White Bay was and concerns that developers would cash in on harbour real estate.

"But what is really worrying is the lack of planning for the 500 or so workers now employed by the port, most of them waterside workers, but also tugs, lines, port authority workers and others," he said. "The union will continue to voice our disapproval until the government sits down and genuinely negotiates a proper outcome."

Toll NZ Confab

The ACTU/NZCTU the ITF and combined unions met in Wellington New Zealand in June to talk Toll strategies.

MUA Toll delegates had the opportunity to present their experiences and achievements with the Toll group at the conference and get first hand knowledge from our Kiwi comrades.

Our delegates were from WA, Whyalla, Geelong, Westernport and Port Kembla with WA Branch Secretary Chris Cain, SA Branch Secretary Jamie Newlyn, SNSW Branch Secretary Mark Armstrong and Assistant National Secretary Rick Newlyn leading the delegation.

The conference was hosted in New Zealand due primarily to Toll's expansion in the country through mergers and acquisitions in Road, Rail and Maritime Transport Sectors. Australia has and is experiencing the rapid growth of Toll and has already developed a cross union model to effectively deal with Toll industrially in an initiative called the Freight Unions Mapping Project.

NZ Transport Minister Peter Hodgson addressed the conference and delivered the NZ Governmentıs refreshing position of retaining public ownership Increasingly the trend is for governments to privatise, however the NZ government has re-invested in the countryıs rail system and is doing further cost benefit analysis on further road and rail infrastructure and are trying to develop integrated transport strategies.

The conference resolved to create a TransTasman Unions Council to co-ordinate and develop union campaigns, develop core conditions to apply to all Toll collective agreements and to establish communication networks with Toll members/delegates (See resolution available in the National Officers' report on the MUA website) "Each delegate, member and union official left the conference with a renewed sense of optimism in the fight to improve workers conditions in the face of increased global capital," Assistant National Secretary Rick Newly reports.

No, Minister

Federal Transport Minister John Anderson has stepped down from the Howard front bench, with Mark Vail to be the deputy prime minister.

"History will remember John Anderson as the Transport Minister who never realised that shipping is an integral part of Australiaıs transportation network," said National Secretary Paddy Crumlin. "He held the transport portfolio since October 1998 but unfortunately made zero contribution to Australian shipping other than to preside over the further abuses of the shipping permit system. He will not be missed."

Meanwhile the MUA supported by other Australian transport unions and the ACTU has successfully lobbied to get a shadow minister.

Kerry O'Brien, a Labor Senator for tasmania is the new transport spokesperson for the ALP.

"The MUA are convinced that Senator O'Brien has the understanding of the industry and the Maritime Union and will be a strong advocate of workers'rights and all maritime issues. We look forward to working with him throughout one of the most challenging periods of trade union history in Australia," said Paddy Crumlin.