MUA puts rightwing writer warrior on notice

By MUA news -

When Australian Financial Review columnist and right wing opinion writer lashed out at the union and our members over the Patrick dispute this week, MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin pulled no punches. This is his right of reply published in AFR today:

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.

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