Maritime Union of Australia: General: Global Solidarity Conference

By Maritime Union of Australia -
This News Item is restricted to the MUA General Industry Division

A successful conference on global solidarity of mining and maritime unions held in Newcastle last week

The port of Newcastle, a town that has suffered as a consequence of globalisation, was the host city for the successful Mining & Maritime Conference on globalisation and solidarity. The conference saw trade union representatives from mining and maritime unions from the US, Japan, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and France.

The conference was organised to bring together those unions who, with the support of their membership, were prepared to develop a militant and strategic campaign against globalisation, working with unions on a global basis.

The conference was opened by the NSW Premier Bob Carr, who reminisced the Patrick's dispute and the important victory for the Maritime Union and the Australian and international trade union community. He clearly recognised the agenda of the Howard Federal government and Patrick at the time was to destroy the Maritime Union, not improve productivity. He described how his State government was under constant pressure from the Federal government to smash the picket lines in New South Wales - a task his government was not prepared to do.

He spoke of the importance of working with unions and described successful relationships between the government and the NSW unions in major projects brought in under budget, within time and included the Olympic stadium and infrastructure as an example.

ACTU Secretary Greg Combet addressed the conference and identified a number of areas of how the trade union movement internationally have recognised the importance of global solidarity campaigns that includes the issues of corporate campaigning, exposing the practices of corporations who do not include workers' rights enshrined by the ILO as an important issue for those corporations as profit.

He went on to indicate that the conference needed to develop concrete programs that can be easily understood by rank and file workers here and in other countries, and generate the support of those workers to rally around.

The keynote speakers included John Maitland, National Secretary of the CFMEU and President of the International Chemical, Energy & Mining (ICEM), the international for the mining industry unions. National Secretary and ITF Executive Board member Paddy Crumlin also addressed the conference on important issues relating to globalisation and the need for trade union solidarity at the same level, that being the global program that required the efforts of all unions but in particular the unions affiliated to ICEM and the ITF to take progressive action in support of workers' rights globally.

Comrade Crumlin went on to identify that the most pressing issue affecting our international trade union comrades is the attack on the International Longshoreman & Warehouse Workers Union (ILWU) by the American stevedoring companies supported by global shipping companies who are attempting to reduce conditions of employment and hard-won agreements including extending work shifts that have potential implications on occupation health and safety. The dispute may see the American Longshoreman who have common agreements in 28 ports locked out by their employer with the Bush government clearly falling on the side of the employers and undertaking a program of training Navy personnel to operate waterfront machinery including portainer cranes. This clearly has its origins in the Patrick's dispute where serving and recently retired members of the military trained in Dubai for the government-sponsored attempted smashing of the Maritime Union.

The conference endorsed a range of solidarity support for the ILWU, recognising the importance of a victory for the ILWU, American and global trade unionism.

Speaker after speaker from our international guests and participants from the floor endorsed the comments of the sponsors of the conference and recognised the importance of international solidarity in both the defence and advancement of workers' rights.

The conference broke up into two working groups, representing mining and maritime, with a clear objective of developing a declaration for activity into the future and a compact between the maritime and mining unions. These two documents will become the rallying cry for ongoing activity amongst the unions against the excesses of globalisation.

The conference was capped off by the Centenary Dinner held at Randwick Racecourse to celebrate 100 years since the birth of EV Elliott, 102 years since the birth of big Jim Healy, 130 since the formation of the first seamen's and wharf labourers unions in Australia, 4 years since the Patrick lockout and heading towards 10 years of the amalgamation of this great union - the MUA. The Dinner saw the coming together of the Australian and international trade union movement to celebrate these great events, with the political comedian commentator Bryan Dawe - the other half of the 7.30 Report team. There was a celebratory video identifying the history of the Union through the Hungry Mile, Vietnam War, Indonesian independence and every piece of major history that this Union has proudly participated in (including, of course, great moments of the Patrick's dispute and recognition of past leaders who were issued with life membership of the Union, or were welcomed to the stage with rousing applause. They included Patrick Geraghty, the former National Secretary of the Seamen's Union, Tas Bull (former National Secretary of the WWF) and John Coombs (first and former National Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia, and the leader of our victory over Patrick). Prior to the dinner the National Council convened to confer a life membership on a former employee of the WWF, now Secretary of the ACTU and a staunch supporter of the MUA, Greg Combet, whose role in support of the Union particularly during the Patrick dispute and subsequently with the ongoing attack on seafarers' right to work by the Howard government, has been one of the most important contributions to the Union in its history.

Guest speaker on the night was Bob Hawke who spoke on the great struggles and history of the component parts of the MUA and the high regard that this union, leaders and membership are held in the trade union movement both here in Australia and internationally. How even in his time as ACTU President, he could always rely on the MUA for assistance to other unions, both domestically and internationally, and recalled that as Prime Minister the Union's farsightedness in dealing with change and technology ensuring that the Union extracted the best outcomes possible for its membership.

National Secretary Paddy Crumlin guided the guests through our historic presentation and made the presentations to our new life members on the night.

With over 600 guests, the evening was a great celebration of trade union history and a re-affirmation that the MUA is here to stay!

The following is the text of the Newcastle Declaration on global solidarity and also the compact between the maritime and mining unions at the seminar on practical initiatives to defend workers in both industries:

We, trade union members and leaders representing more than 2.7 million members in the mining, energy and maritime industries from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, South Africa, USA, Canada, Japan and France, having gathered from 17-20 September in Newcastle, Australia and having deliberated on the impact of globalization on our members, their families and our societies with the aim of developing practical and effective responses, hereby place on record our consensus on the way forward:

Reports to the meeting illustrated rapid globalisation of mining and maritime transport industries and the rise of few more powerful global corporations whose primary aim is to maximise profits for shareholders.

� increased unemployment and the loss of permanent quality jobs on a massive scale;

� undermining of collective bargaining and direct attacks on human and trade union rights;

� lowering of wages, social security and health and safety standards for workers;

� the rise of a new class of casual, contracted, non-union and unprotected labour;

� the reduction in the role of the state through the privatization of public assets.

We believe strongly that this attack requires an immediate and direct response from the world's workers that requires us as trade unions to increase our efforts to unite, organise, educate, agitate and inspire our members, their families and the youth of the world.

Using the limited resources we have at our disposal, we will work towards a plan of action aimed at:

� educating the rank and file to understand the importance of international solidarity for all workers;

� organising focused exchange programs between Union members nationally and internationally to share experiences and ideas on specific company issues;

� promoting women in the mining, energy and maritime industries and in our unions;

� strengthening our organising efforts to expand our membership base by organising the unorganised workers and by bringing our affiliates into our respective international federations;

� highlighting and popularising our local struggles and victories to inspire our fellow workers around the world;

� exploring fully the idea of a Global Workers Charter as a global organising tool that includes the key international treaties on human and trade union rights;

� organising regular international days of action around particular disputes and themes;

� forming alliances and joint actions with social movements on issues of mutual concern.

We further pledge our full financial, political and industrial support for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in the dispute with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) in the current struggle for a new contract for members on the West Coast. This support includes an organised international campaign on PMA shipping lines with the view of urging them to reach an agreed contract with the union.

We unanimously resolve with renewed vigour, commitment and determination to build a common solidarity platform and common struggle on this Newcastle Declaration.

Essential to this declaration is every member understanding the commitment we are making; every member being involved in its implementation.

Among the CFMEU (Australia), IGBCE (Germany), NUM (South Africa), UMWA (USA) and USWA (USA and Canada), MUA (Australia), ILWU (USA), NZ Seafarers Union (New Zealand), NZWWU (New Zealand), SATAWU (South Africa) and the All Japan Dockworkers Union.

In response to the ever-increasing concentration of ownership of mining and maritime companies globally and the spread of flag-of-convenience shipping;

Recognising new challenges for unions at a national and international level over preservation and advancement of labour rights and social standards.

Welcoming UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Global Compact, which challenges employers to respect workers'

� hold companies accountable to respecting and implementing core ILO standards.

We envisage that joint strategies and campaigns will be based on utilising our strengths in each of our industries for the mutual benefit of workers in each industry. An initial priority for joint strategy and campaign development will be in the area of flag of convenience bulk commodity shipping. Bulk commodity shipping is a sector of very poor performance with respect to marine and labour standards and is heavily used by the mining industry. Major shippers/charterers should be accountable for standards on the ships they use.

We further recognise the important steps taken by the ICEM and the ITF in the campaign to fully unionise the offshore hydrocarbon industry.

We call upon all like-minded unions in our industries to join this campaign. Further, we ask the ICEM and ITF to facilitate development and co-operation with respect to this strategy.

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