Logging On

By MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin

What a debacle in Iraq, it would bring a tear to a glass eye. You can't have a school fete without a suicide bomber turning up... And George Bush, well it's a victory for democracy and the fight of good against evil he reckons. At least the American electorate are coming to their senses. It's a big test for Australia next year as well. Every worker hates anyone getting the sack, but in Howard's case it would be a relief and pleasure. It wouldn't be an unfair dismissal that's for sure.

Great mates, great loss

In life it's a sure bet that it is easier to measure our achievements by those that went before us. It's been a long and grieving year for our union due to the loss of many dear comrades

The passing of so many significant people to the development of so much we have achieved has been a punctuation for reflection on the nature of what we work for, and live for. The list is numerous; John Brennan Presiding Officer and Newcastle Branch Secretary of the Seamen's Union, almost a monolithic presence on the waterfront for 60 or 70 decades. As was Alwyn Allport who Allan Oliver, one of the Unions great scribes, reflects on in this Journal. Bill Bodenham and the enormous courage and commitment that resonated around his well cast bell of commitment. Ron Connolly, legendary communist and knock around Secretary of the Port Adelaide Branch of the WWF, Norm Carey respected Tasmanian Branch Secretary of the WWF and Terry Rawlins WA Branch Secretary of the Seamen's Union for over 25 years, who helped organise the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry now a critical part of the Union's industrial activity, all were honoured by the ACTU Congress for their Union activity and commitment, together with Jim Mitchell Political and Union Activist from the South Australian WWF State Executive. Of course many more have passed that developed the Union and sought to represent workers and their profession in exemplary and inspirational ways. I'd like particularly to mention Roy Davies who was the Signal Master out at South Head in Sydney, brought his family up in the home there overlooking the cliffs and was respected throughout the industry and held in the highest regard for the professional and Trade Union standards that he applied in everything he did.

It is a moving and enriching part of our Maritime Workers Journal that reflects on the passing of our members and the deep appreciation that their lives have been held in by others, fellow delegates, mates and family. As one old wag said to me, I always read the Vale Section of the journal to make sure I'm not in it.

Our lives have special meaning if they are well lived, well loved and also well remembered. At tough times for all families, friends and comrades of the recently departed, I hope I can say on behalf of all of our Union - their lives have touched us and made us stronger, and particularly to the families can I also relay our deep thanks and heartfelt gratitude for your willingness to be part of that contribution that continues to enliven and reassure us. Vale Comrades and thank you.

Revolving doors

There's always a bit going on in our joint, particularly when employers seem to come and go like southerly busters. Sometimes new ones are going to revolutionise the place like they are writing a new chapter of Genesis. Take stevedoring; at the moment it's like a revolving door at Myers. That's why the MUA always takes the stairs. P&O is now DP World. Patricks is Toll. A new vision statement, management turnaround, new views - the King is dead and long live the King.

It's a bit tough on the worker. At the close of the shift it was still wall to wall containers and general cargo put on or taken off trucks and ships. If you walk out of there on your pegs only carrying mental fatigue it's been a good one. What's the old Arab saying, the dogs bark but the caravan keeps on moving. It's a bit like living in a suburb the whole of your life and someone moving in asking you to keep the noise down. Land rights should bring with it respect and we look forward to receiving it.

It's pretty simple really. We've been doing our job here for a very long time, but we still listen and give respect where it's due. But we expect a bit back as well. Meetings with both new senior managements have been reassuring so far.

World of tossers

The stevedoring industry is a tough competitive place. No pattern bargaining, different corporate strategies, enormous demands on the workforce that has to be alert to call outs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with what it seems like is five minutes notice if you're lucky. And in some places when you get to work they time how long it takes to walk to the machinery or ship in case someone's dudding. You might as well stick a broom up your arse and sweep the place on the way. Having a crap may lead to a drop in productivity statistics in Waterline which watches the industry closer than South Korea watches North Korea.

So what does the Federal Government and ACCC think about it? Well their latest effort tells us we've all got to try a bit harder. Productivity is lagging. They're geniuses these blokes, the key is to introduce new stevedores who will under cut the wages and conditions and all is well again in the world of the tossers. It's a bit expected from Howard and his offsiders at the ACCC. If it wasn't for the lack of disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act the lot of them would probably be in the nick over what happened at Patrick in the '98 dispute. That's not a conspiracy theory, that's a conspiracy reality

But when you have to cop the same nonsense and aggressive political partisanship from some Ministers in State Labour Governments, it becomes too rich for digestion. There's plenty of competition on the Australian Waterfront ask any wharfie who has lost his earnings or job due to a change in contract.

Our bullshit radar is on high alert after years of political and industrial abuse from Government. If State Governments want to come down to casualise and take our jobs, they want to think about how things went in the past and how determined we are to make sure they never happen again. Enter at your own risk.

If the ACCC was serious about making an efficient economy, they'd have the balls and brains to promote investment and stability, not undermine it. Labour productivity isn't the issue; it's been settled for years. Its investment in capital expenditure like cranes and other equipment, intermodal, roads and bureaucratic incompetence that's holding the place up. And really, the NSW and Queensland Governments want to get a life on this stuff. Grow up you mugs.

The real world

Talking about the real world, Tony Maher, President of the CFMEU Mining and Energy Division and I went to China with the NSW Minister of Resources, Ian MacDonald to talk about trade and everything in between. We met with our respective unions, the Seafarers and Construction Union and the Mining and Energy Union. Between them they have 80 million members - imagine that stop work meeting! The important bit is they're buying our coal, LNG, minerals and everything else to keep a country of 1.3billion people going.

Unlike John Howard, who went and brokered an LNG deal out of the N/W Shelf without any involvement of Unions or consideration for Australian workers rights, the NSW Resources Minister thought having the Unions along added something, and he is right and wise in his actions. Similar constructive developments are happening in Western Australia with solid support for bilateral trade with China that doesn't leave out workers rights or involvement of the Union.

The Chinese appreciate it, we get a chance to give our take on things and new business opportunities open up that have the capacity to benefit everyone. It was a breath of fresh air that State Governments turn out people of intelligence and substance as well as imbeciles, or at least individuals that give a pretty good impression of being one.

I hope the good guys win out or otherwise some of these Governments will be warming seats in opposition. That's a bad result for us, all of us in the community, the movement and business I believe. Maybe it's an inevitable cycle, long term Governments breed indifference and ignorance, Labor as well as Liberal (the Libs have an enormous head start out of the blocks though).

But for me, I'll back the Ian MacDonald's in NSW and the Alannah MacTiernan's in WA every time. They're the type of people that give some strong balance and the maturity that's required by Government to balance the many issues they confront in our complex society. Some of their mates need a reef up the arse though before their Governments are hit for a political six.

Fair dismissal

What a debacle in Iraq, it would bring a tear to a glass eye. There's Saddam giving maximum cheek right to the bitter end. He's come good it seems since they chased him out of his hole. The joints in chaos. You can't have a school fete without a suicide bomber turning up. The judges are on a US promise, the Saddam tribe are filthy, the other gangs are over the moon, and they all have an expression session of bombing and shooting each other (and anyone who takes a walk on the wrong night) to get it off their chest. And George Bush, well it's a victory for democracy and the fight of good against evil he reckons.

And John Howard? His take is it's the lesser of two evils - do I stay or do I go, like in that old Jimmy Durante movie. What a bunch. And life and sanity continues to leak out of their great work of political art and we ourselves feel degraded as we look on helplessly. At least the American electorate are coming to their senses by throwing the morally and probably legally corrupt Republicans out of the House of Representatives. I hope they follow through in the Presidential elections.

It's a big test for Australia next year as well. Every worker hates anyone getting the sack, but in Howard's case it would be a relief and pleasure. It wouldn't be an unfair dismissal that's for sure.