ITF Dockers´ News.
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Australia's dockers hold minute's silence
5 October 2012
Port workers across Australia held a minute’s silence this week in memory of a colleague who was killed while working on a vessel in the Port of Newcastle.
Greg Fitzgibbon, aged 56, died from crush injuries when a pallet of metal ingots shifted unexpectedly. He leaves behind a wife an d two daughters.
MUA national secretary an d ITF president Paddy Crumlin attended the funeral. He stated: “Stevedoring safety regulations are behind the world's best practice an d this tragedy is a terrible indictment on the nation's employers. Eventually our industry’s employers will realise that there is a direct causal link between strong productivity an d good workplace safety. But how man y more of our members need to die before that realisation is gained?”
MUA assistan t national Secretary Warren Smith added: “There have been too man y deaths on the Australian waterfront in recent times. It’s time employers stopped undermining safety an d looked after workers as much as they look after the bottom line.”
He concluded: "We will not rest until better safety is delivered on the waterfront.”
For more details see www.mua.org.au/news-story/3401
Dockers ' unions ready to fight deregulation in Europe ’s ports
5 October 2012
Leaders of dockers’ unions at a recent International Tran sport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Maritime Roundtable in Casablan ca were united in their resolve to fight an y moves to deregulate stan dards or trade union rights in Europe ’s ports.
The meeting came the day after dockers’ unions across Europe organ ised, on 25 September, solidarity actions with Portuguese unions, including ITF an d ETF affiliate Oficiaismar. The Portuguese unions were entering their second week of a second national strike in protest at government proposals to relax employment regulations in the country’s ports.
Leaders from dockers’ unions affiliated to the European Tran sport’ Workers’ Federation (ETF) an d the ITF warned that the attack on Portuguese dock work was “the shape of things to come” an d signalled a concerted attempt by the EC to further liberalise Europe’s port industry. It would result in an increase in casualisation, the erosion of trade union rights an d a lowering of hard-won health an d safety stan dards an d working conditions.
The ETF an d ITF argued that this legislation is similar to Europe-wide legislative attempts, known as port packages one an d two, which were successfully defeated by dockers in 2003 an d 2006. They said that although it was now being forced through on a national basis, the legislation would have the same potential wide-ran ging effects on dockers.
Chair of the ETF dockers’ section Terje Samuelsen said: “Portugal an be considered as a laboratory for European ports policy. Several measures put forward by the Portuguese government correspond perfectly to the proposals that can be expected across Europe . We will defeat port package three just as we did its predecessors.”
ITF president an d dockers’ section chair Paddy Crumlin said: “This type of deregulation will not be countenan ced by the world dockers’ movement. In a global industry maintenan ce of stan dards an d trade union rights is a global issue, not just a national or regional one.”
For more on the Maritime Roundtable see
ITF backs ILWU president
5 October 2012
The ITF has expressed its strong backing for Rob McEllrath, international president of the ILWU, following the decision by Cowlitz County Court, Washington State at the end of September 2012 to fine him $500 an d sentence him to a day in jail for ‘obstructing a train’.
The case followed a peaceful protest on 7 September 2011, when union members an d supporters had gathered to protest against a train carrying grain destined for the Port of Longview an y agreed to settle the dispute an d signed a contract with the union in February 2012.
ITF general secretary David Cockroft said: “We are completely behind Bob. This case should have been dropped long ago, as he was simply helping his members fight for their jobs. Bob will be stan ding up for his members today as he does every day, without breaking stride.”
ITF president an d Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) national secretary Paddy Crumlin commented: "When Big Bob attended the MUA Quadrennial Conference earlier this year, we made it absolutely clear that we were behind him 100 per cent. This case provides yet an other reminder that unions across the world need to continue to work together to stop the war on workers."
Bonus for India
5 October 2012
Over 50,000 workers at India an nual wages.
The productivity-linked reward (PLR) has been set at 14.67 per cent for the year for 2011 to 2012. In addition workers will also receive the PLR for 2010 to 2011 at the rate of 16.30 per cent, after adjusting the ad-hoc payment, which had already been disbursed last year.
The an nual bonus, which has been approved by India ’s Ministry of Shipping, is normally an nounced before the onset of the festival season in India an d chair of the ITF Asia-Pacific dockers’ committee, commented: “This achievement has been made possible due to the solidarity an d unity of all the Indian port an d dock workers.”
Dockers in the Maldives defian t in the face of an ti-union intimidation
8 October 2012
Port workers in the Maldives are fighting off attempts to undermine their union after their employer dismissed its leaders an d made threats against members.
According to the Maldives Port Workers’ Union (MPWU), the employer Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) has used intimidation tactics to prevent its members from participating in union activities an d sacked its leaders for exercising their right to undertake union work. The MPWU, which has received recognition from the Maldives government an d the international community, claims that MPL man agement has been breaching not only the country’s employment legislation an d constitution, but also International Labour Organ ization (ILO) conventions.
The union has remained defian t, pledging to take a stan d against these provocative an d underhan d union-busting actions, which are set to have a devastating impact on employees’ productivity an d a knock-on effect on the economy. It is deman ding an immediate an d unconditional end to all an ti-union practices an d the reinstatement of all employees who were illegally dismissed.
Ibrahim Khaleel, MPWU president, said: “The Maldives Ports Workers’ Union an d its members believe that it’s our responsibility to speak out to protect our rights. At a time like this we should not be just watching an d letting the top man agement decide everything for us; we should take action for a better tomorrow, for a better work environment, for better pay or whatever our deman ds are. If these problems remain unsolved an d employees are abused an d terminated from employment illegally an d their families continue to suffer, we will stan d up against this.”
ITF applauds Walmart network launch
10 October 2012
Trade unionists met in Los Angeles on 3 to 5 October to launch the UNI Walmart Global Allian ce, a network of Walmart retail unions from around the world. The new allian ce agreed on a plan to fight for union rights wherever Walmart operates, an d to develop deeper links with other Global Union Federations – such as the ITF – representing unions involved in Walmart’s supply chain.
Ingo Marowsky, ITF organ ising globally co-ordinator, commented: “The ITF applauds the launch of the UNI Walmart Global Allian ce. Walmart’s record of driving down working conditions an d failing to respect union rights is well documented.”
He continued: “We are now seeing man y examples of Walmart workers who will not accept its exploitative business model. The past year has revealed serious violations of the rights of warehouse workers in the US, such as the Jan uary 2012 threat to dismiss workers who filed minimum wage violation claims, an d the recent 50 mile march by striking workers from Ontario, California, to Los Angeles City Hall. The ITF supports the struggle of these workers for basic rights, an d will continue to do so alongside UNI Global Union.”
UNI General Secretary Phillip Jennings said: “In LA the workers are on strike because of harassment an d sackings over workers daring to stan d up to the compan y an d organ ise. It’s time to face down the bully. Walmart should accept the new reality. They now face a global allian ce that is prepared to take a stan d for decent work an d for the rights of Walmart staff worldwide.”
The allian ce meeting coincided with further strikes across Walmart’s retail an d warehousing operations. In California, workers went on strike at retail stores for the first time in the compan y’s history. Fifty striking workers from stores in Los Angeles came off the picket line to meet with other Walmart unionists. In Elwood, Illinois, workers at warehousing contractor Roadlink returned to work on October 7, with man agement agreeing to pay workers for the duration of a three week strike.
On 9 October the industrial action spread further across the US, with further strikes in Dallas, Texas; Miami, Florida; Seattle, Washington; Laurel, Marylan d; an d Northern, Central, an d Southern California.
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