Mailbag

Laborfest exhibition Hugger Mugger: Docks 98 – paintings and lithographs by artist Bill Hay. Works are available at http://www.rayhughesgallery.com

Letters commemorating Patrick 10 years on and in support of the campaign to keep our ferries

The Fremantle Pickets

The Patrick Lockout, April 18 1998

And we were there, on Fremantle Harbour, in 1998 A few at first in the dusk of that day as the hours ebbed Away into advancing darkness; gathered at the gate to face The threat of coming hostile force. We were one Of the picket lines, with all hands on deck now As we battened down for a stormy night Near the wharves from which maritime workers, The wharfies, had been driven by thugs with dogs - The curs of Corrigan - and here outside high fences We faced the wrecking of our rights, our working lives As all around the Australian coast our union, the MUA, Would be fighting that same bitter battle tonight. We were the Fremantle picket lines, the night watch On the barricades of belief, tired out after Long days and nights, but still there on guard At the gates, shoulder to shoulder, and we were resolute. All week we had heard that farmers were coming, Truck on truck by the hundred to smash through Our pickets, but we were a union united, we held the line. We were steel fired in the furnace of solidarity - Welded in the links of that living human chain - Because we were shackled by belief to our principles And to that time, and to our comrades, And to that working place and port. We had thought it but another night on the pickets At the harbour gates, but there was something Stirring, strange, tremors of turmoil in the salt air; The sea nearby a war-song of surf thundering inland, A drumbeat echoing the march of police, 700 strong, To their hidden barracks inside the barriers. The word went out - and from Fremantle, the city And the suburbs, the people came to join us In that great gathering: artists and academics, Schoolteachers, nurses, workers, wives and mothers, Pensioners on their last legs, and the people Of the port, they came again, as ever. Above us, against the drift of clouds and stars, Aircraft trawled the night, circling, cameras recording. Helicopters clattered across the sky hour after hour, Searchlight beams burning down - lighting the way For the MUA and the union members of the CFMEU And the Metal Workers marching to join us. All the long hours we watched and waited in the pickets, Arms linked together, united, a thousand strong on the line. All night long the State Government's uniformed front - The body-armoured, weaponed, special tactical force - Wielding shield and baton, marched and practiced, Rehearsing their brutal ballet, their dance of war. The Farmers' Federation and their trucks were coming! They were coming with all their cohorts of riot police! The goons with their dogs and the masked clowns Of Corrigan were coming to batter us and break our lines - So the media said, so the media said - And so the night went by until the sun wheeled into the sky. And with the coming of the day we stood there still, Waiting, in the massed ranks of the picket lines - Four thousand strong by that cold dawn - and they did not come. They did not come because we stood shoulder to shoulder With the people of the port, and all were resolute. And because we are the MUA and we are here to stay. In remembrance: a poem for my comrades in the Maritime Union of Australia.

Bryn Griffiths

Retired seafarer

Comrades in Parliament

Messages from the Prime Minister, Labor Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries on the night of the Patrick Anniversary Dinner

Proud history

The Maritime Union of Australia has a long and proud history. An important mark in the history of your union is the Patrick Dispute, the effects of which continue to be played out today. The fact that you are here to commemorate this anniversary tonight is testament to the resilience and determination of your union. I also want to use this opportunity to acknowledge and thank you for your important role in a more recent struggle. The MUA was at the forefront of the courageous, disciplined and effective labour movement campaign against the Howard Government's WorkChoices industrial relations laws. We are embarking now upon a new era of moving forward with fairness. I hope we can build on the bitter experiences of the Waterfront Dispute to ensure that working people are treated with fairness and respect, now and into the future. I wish you the very best for this conference, and for your ongoing contribution to our democracy.

Kevin Rudd

Prime Minister of Australia

Honoured

I am honoured to send you a message on the 10th anniversary of the Patrick dispute. Let's be frank. The Howard Government and in particular Peter Reith set out to destroy the MUA - and they failed. They failed because of an incredibly successful industrial campaign by the MUA. Importantly, your campaign almost overnight generated broad community support. Support that was forthcoming because working men and women realised that if the Howard Government could destroy one of Australia's strongest unions everyone else was vulnerable to a similar attack on their rights and conditions. The Howard Government's agenda was about breaking the trade union movement, in a clandestine attack on the MUA and the broader union movement. The Australian community was appalled by the blatant aggression of the Howard Government in legislating to allow the sacking of the workforce and stripping their entitlements, and then bringing in non-union labour backed up by guards in balaclavas and with dogs. I am proud to have been involved in the campaign on the picket lines at the wharves in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. I pay tribute to those who led the campaign - particularly John Coombs at the MUA and Greg Combet and Bill Kelty at the ACTU. And I pay tribute to the MUA's membership for standing up for their rights and for the principles of solidarity, commitment and the defence of the legal rights of workers in Australia 10 years ago.

Simon Crean

Minister for Trade

True colours

This is an important occasion - the 10th anniversary of the struggle on Australian wharves. The Patrick dispute showed the people of Australia that they had a government that was ready and willing to turn on them - to use every means at its disposal to crush the labour movement. Ten years on, it reminds of us the great differences between the old Howard Government and the new Rudd Government. The Howard Government was fixated on destroying the unions - the voice of working families. And our new government is working to build a fair and just Australia. Ten years ago the Patrick waterfront dispute showed the Australian people the true colours of the Howard Government. A decade on, we have a very different government - a government that believes in building a strong Australia for all Australians.

Jenny Macklin Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

In spirit

Congratulations on the 10th anniversary. At the moment I'm in Alice Springs, which is about as far away from the sea as it's possible to get! But I'm with you in spirit. As the managers of Gardline finally worked out, "the MUA is here to stay." Come to think of it, John Howard has probably finally worked it out as well. And Peter Reith has disappeared into well-deserved oblivion. I truly believe that workers as yet unborn will owe your union a debt of the deepest gratitude. I hope you all have a great night. Yours fraternally Bob Debus Minister for Home Affairs

Bold Statement

I would like to pay tribute to the workers and their families who fought long and hard for decent pay and conditions across the docks of Australia a decade ago, continuing a long history of advocacy by maritime workers. It seemed obvious at the time that the striking workers I talked to at East Darling Harbour were the descendants, in an industrial sense, of those workers who "walked the Hungry Mile" when they stood together to demand better and fairer employment practices. The Patrick dispute was not just a protest in the name of Patrick employees. It was a bold statement which was heard in boardrooms across the country.

Yours in solidarity Hon Tanya Plibersek

Minister for Housing and Minister for the Status of Women

Key Struggle

The 10th anniversary of the Patrick Dispute marks a victory in what was a key struggle in our cause for a fair go for ordinary Australians. I have worked closely with the MUA for many years - their diligent application and willingness to fight was an inspiration to all working Australians. The MUA continues to provide solid leadership on industrial relations and deliver a fantastic service to all those fortunate enough to be MUA members. The WorkChoices legislation showed us that the conservatives didn't learn from the Patrick dispute, and it's bloody unlikely they'll learn from the WorkChoices legislation. Let's celebrate this anniversary, and let's also let it remind us to expect future underhanded attempts by conservative forces to erode the rights of Australian workers.

Warren Snowdon,

Minister for Defence Science and Personnel

Critical moment

The Patrick's dispute came at a critical moment - when the Howard Government felt both invulnerable and at the same time ideological. The dispute soon became the backdrop to 1998. All senior shadow ministers, Kim and I spent time on the picket whenever we thought we could do any good. I still remember Simon Crean suffering cracked ribs while being jostled on a picket in Melbourne. As we reflect back on the events of 1998 its clear not only is the MUA here to stay, but so is the great Australian trade union movement.

Gary Gray

Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia

10 years on

This is the MUA's response to the Sydney Morning Herald editorial damning the union and its workers for the 1998 Patrick dispute. The letter was published in the Herald's "First Word" on April 11 2008. The Herald would have readers celebrate the night when up to 2000 Australian workers were forcibly removed from their jobs by security guards in balaclavas with dogs. Tuesday's editorial encouraged readers further to revel in the month-long lockout that left these workers with no income, no job and no dignity as the Howard Government and Patrick Stevedores ran a sophisticated campaign of character assassination. A campaign that lives on at the Herald, it seems. The claim that attacks on waterfront workers by Chris Corrigan in 1998 led to an increase in productivity is one of the great myths of the dispute. The figures show improvements in waterfront productivity did not kick in until two years after the dispute, when the company gave up on confrontation and sat down to negotiate with the Maritime Union of Australia. Attempts to achieve productivity improvements at the point of a gun only lead to long-term dysfunction and often some form of war. Threats and intimidation lead to an unwilling and unhappy workforce. Fair and flexible working arrangements, safe workplaces and strong morale are far more effective at boosting productivity. Our members know their long-term interests lie in working for successful trading enterprises. They only ask for those enterprises to bargain in good faith, something that Patrick and the Howard Government didn't do in 1998. The union remains committed to exploring legal avenues to have released any documentation exposing what the High Court found was evidence of unlawful acts against the MUA and its members. This was largely locked away through a process to shield government actions from accountability. That is not sour grapes. It's about the type of democracy we wish to nurture as a nation. Many of those workers lost families, houses and their health as a result of the political and ideological violence inflicted upon them by Patrick, with the full support of the Howard Government.

Paddy Crumlin

National Secretary

Maritime Union of Australia

Sydney

Rightwing warrior

When Australian Financial Review columnist and right wing opinion writer Peter Ruehl lashed out at the union and our members over the Patrick dispute in April, MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin pulled no punches. This is his right of reply published in the AFR: MUA QUESTIONS STILL VALID Peter Ruehl's "Nothing's conclusive down on the docks" (April 15) reveals one of the great ironies of the Australian media's treatment of the 10th anniversary of the attack on Australian waterfront workers. While the media have called long and loud for press freedoms, including an overhaul of Freedom of Information laws, when it comes to the Howard Government's involvement in the mass sacking of Maritime Union of Australia members they want to leave well enough alone. The reason the MUA has called for the Rudd Government to review the conclusive certificates placed on consultants' reports that designed the sacking strategy is not for political payback. It is because Australian taxpayers paid about $1.5million to these consultants and deserve to know what that money bought. Taxpayers also deserve to know whether the $100 million for redundancy payments for Patrick Stevedores workers paid by the government was a previously agreed enticement for the company to sack the entire workforce. These reports would expose, conclusively, the degree of involvement of an elected government in a conspiracy to breach its own workplace laws. And it is because when we vote for a government, we expect it to uphold the public interest, not subvert it.

Paddy Crumlin

National Secretary Maritime Union of Australia

Secret documents

Members onboard the Cossack Pioneer wish to send our full support for the MUA's request for the release of confidential documents held by the previous Howard Government, containing sensitive information about the 1998 Waterfront Dispute. The contrived attack upon Australian workers was planned with the backing of Corrigan and Co, along with Howard Government ministers and associates. The union has the absolute right to request these documents, as Australian citizens and taxpayers in this so-called democracy. Those directly affected by the then government's actions have a right to be made aware of what these people's ultimate aim was when setting out to destroy our union. The proposed book will not be complete without the information contained in these documents.

Regards and in unity MUA members

Cossack Pioneer

Don't be conned

Award winning investigative journalist and filmmaker John Pilger has joined the campaign to save Sydney Ferries. His letter (below) featured in the Sydney Morning Herald's letters page in April.

The Herald's campaign against State Government corruption is missing one notorious breeding ground of corruption: government fire sales of public services, known as privatisation.

Your report ("Privatise Sydney Ferries, department tells cabinet", April 14), in promoting the proposed sale of Sydney Ferries as part of the natural order, quotes the Tourism and Transport Forum without telling your readers this is, in its own words, a "CEO forum" that "advocates the public policy interests of the 200 most prestigious corporations..." In other words, it supports the likes of those who will make a bundle out of a public service if it is privatised.

I catch a ferry almost every day and whenever I am asked by friends around the world what is so great about Sydney, I invariably say the ferry service and the people who work in it. I have got to know many of them, if not by name. From the deckhands to the skippers, they are among the best of this city and of Australia: skilled, helpful, gracious people imbued with the idea of public service. I spotted two of them on Sunday handing out timetables to tourists at Circular Quay from a trolley because the ferry information office had been summarily closed on April 7, clearly in preparation for the sale.

This, together with propaganda that the public is "unfazed" by privatisation, are old tricks that mark the coming destruction of a genuine public service - if voters allow it to happen.

Having lived in Britain, I have seen how it works. First run down the service and manufacture a media outcry at its shortcomings, then deliver it into the hands of shareholders who under "public-private partnerships" fleece the public purse for years.

Beware Sydney: don't be conned by the corporate spin. You have a treasure in Sydney Ferries and its workforce. If all that is needed is $400 million to replace the fleet, it is a bargain.

John Pilger, Drummoyne

http://www.johnpilger.com/

Ferry fight goes global

To our comrades at Sydney Ferries: As President of the Inlandboatmen's Union, ILWU, I speak on behalf of the thousands of ferry workers from California, Alaska, and Washington State, workers who share your concern over the threat of privatisation.

Be assured that your struggle will be heard far from Circular Quay; ferry workers and passengers in San Francisco, Seattle, North Puget Sound, Juneau, Ketchikan and throughout Alaska will be aware of the attempt by the NSW Transport Department to replace a viable and important government service with private owners who will rake in profits at the expense of the worker and the passenger.

No longer can we be content to ignore the battles of our union brethren, no matter how distant they are. As ferry workers we must be united against global maritime companies and large corporations which now dominate our industry and which, given the chance, will acquire passenger ferries anywhere in the world. If greed becomes the driving force of our industry instead of public service then all will suffer. Therefore we must educate our workers and passengers against these threats.

Once a major system such as Sydney Ferries is privatised then it will be a stepping stone for every other public ferry system...we must draw the line, we must fight alongside our comrades at Sydney Ferries. The IBU/ILWU will provide all possible support for this effort.

Alan Coté

National President

Inlandboatmen's Union

ILWU Executive Board

IBU/ILWU

www.ibu.org

Privatisation Push

The Tourism and Transport Forum has entered the fray supporting private ownership of Sydney Ferries. This forum needs some analysis to see exactly why they take the position they do. A quick glance at their history and their makeup reveals all there is to know and the question of why becomes very clear.

The Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) is made up mostly of CEOs and big business advocates. A recent TTF publication states "TTF Australia (Tourism & Transport Forum) is a unique organisation, working at many levels to provide influence, access and value for our 200 CEO members across Australia."

As for your small family business wanting to get involved in the activities of the TTF, forget it. "Membership of TTF Australia is by invitation only and limited to CEOs of major corporations and institutions."

So what we have is an elitist big business, invitation only, lobby group that serves the interests of private profit making corporations and those whose ideological convictions are consistent with that aim.

Recently the Parramatta Sun ran an article entitled "Could Privatisation save our ferry service?" Heavily quoted in the article was the TTF who ran a pro-privatisation line. Also quoted was the Parramatta Lord Mayor Paul Barber who said: "If a public-private partnership is the thing that saves the ferry services out to Parramatta then I would support the idea."

It is interesting to note that the Parramatta Council is one of the invitees to the TTF's CEO club. If Parramatta Council was genuine about ferry services being maintained in a manner that served the public interest their position should clearly be one opposed to privatisation, not of flirtation with the anti-social private ownership model.

TTF propaganda proudly proclaims their adherence to handing over the profits to private interests and handing the risk to government: "In recent times TTF marshalled both the tourism and transport sectors to speak with one voice, winning the $235M Tourism and the $11.8B AusLink Transport White Papers and making a significant impact on the rollout of PPPs to fund infrastructure."

When organisations like the TTF make judgements and statements on matters such as privatising our public transport services they do so from a purely class-based ideological angle of maximising profit making opportunities for their big business mates. It is their policy to promote forms of privatisation and their comments will never serve the interests of the public, only their corporate elite members whose sole purpose is corporate gain and private accumulation regardless of public consequence.

The TTF took another step towards the destruction of Sydney Ferries when the Sydney Morning Herald of April 14 reported that: "An Auspoll survey of more than 400 people commissioned by the Tourism and Transport Forum shows that 70 per cent of respondents believed it did not matter who ran the service - as long as fares were capped and frequency was guaranteed."

So the bosses at the TTF have commissioned a poll. Its outcomes vary significantly from those conducted by the unions. Polling is an art form in that almost any result can be gained if the right question is asked. I wonder what the result would be if the following question were asked: "Would you support private enterprise gouging the profits from Sydney Ferries and leaving the public purse with all the risk?" I suspect the pro-public ownership numbers would dwarf the privatisers under those circumstances. The important conclusion to be drawn from this exercise however is the very obvious fact that the TTF are openly running a pro-privatisation campaign against our ferry services.

In the long campaign to keep Sydney Ferries in public ownership it has been exceptionally clear that there are at least three major players who are trying to gain a foothold into running/ owning/operating Sydney Ferries. They are Transdev and Veolia - both huge French multi-national corporations - and Macquarie Bank which has been linked on several occasions to a desire to buy into our public ferry system.

I am sure it comes as no surprise that all three of these giant companies are members of the TTF. The special adviser to the TTF, Mark Paterson just happens to be the head of corporate affairs for Veolia Transport. There's nothing like keeping it in the family.

This outlines the extent to which greedy corporate interests will band together and campaign in their own selfish interests. We should not be surprised, but it is clear we need to be careful and draw the links when we see articles or submissions that advocate private ownership of the ferries. It seems that on every occasion that the concept of privatisation is raised the same grubby corporate interests are behind it. 

Warren Smith

Branch Secretary

Maritime Union of Australia

Sydney Branch

Stop the Power Sell Off

Monaro MP Steve Whan's myopic view of the proposed sale of NSW power assets fails to recognise that if this sale goes through, the people he represents will be paying more for their energy needs in the medium term.

I was part of a delegation that met MP Whan in March. He said one of the main aims of the sell-off was "to provide competition which would lead to lower prices". I replied, "Do you know what is happening in the market? It is called consolidation, takeovers, and joint ventures". I then drew his attention to other examples - such as Ansett and Impulse airlines and the many small Telcos - that got gobbled up by the bigger players, defeating the supposed purpose of greater competition.

The market has since proven our prediction correct, with the $13 billion takeover bid for Origin Energy by BG (British Gas). Stock market analysts have already said that if the takeover succeeds, BG could export 42 per cent of Origin's gas, which would bring our local prices up in line with overseas prices.

The people of NSW have spoken with 85 per cent opposing the sell-off - consistent with the ALP Conference vote. The premier, the treasurer and member for Monaro Steve Whan need a quick change of thinking in line with the needs and values of the people of NSW.

The premier should call off any proposed sale until consulting rationally with key personnel who can provide productive suggestions for outcomes which deliver social and political benefits for communities and economic development.

Thank you to everyone on the far South Coast and all the local businesses that signed the petitions. The ALP Sapphire Branch and Bega Valley Shire Council have also apposed the sell-off.

Craig Malcolm

MUA & SE NSW "STOP THE SELL-OFF" campaigner