Mick was the secretary until 1989 when the National Dock Labour Scheme (NDLS) was abolished and the dock strike was defeated. 'He played a tremendous role, organising, developing and supporting port workers.'
Mick recalled: 'The trade union movement was powerful, but one after the other they were defeated: the miners, printers, seafarers and then it was our turn.'
The Shop Stewards decided to take action to defend the NDLS. 'We would have preferred the union to take action oficially, but they said this was impossible because of the laws and possible sequestration,' he said.
'We called a national unofficial strike. Two of the major ports collapsed, Southampton and Hull. Wediscovered that the dockers had become shareholders.
'After eleven days we went back to work and asked the union to act. Secret ballots were required. We had two and won both: 74 per cent and 75 per cent.'
When the official strike started the government had already abolished the Scheme.
'Finally 152 men were sacked every single active trade unionist.
'450 men were told to sign individual contracts and report to work at 7am. Either that or nothing! Those who were sacked got a big cheque. You can imagine the effect of this.
'Then we were three years in the tribunal. But it didn't make any difference. We won the case but not our jobs.'
Mick said that actions to defeat the unions was co-ordinated by the government and the employers. 'When we were in the tribunal we found out that government officials had been transferred into our port to do a job on us. Those involved in sacking the miners were liaising inside Tilbury to sack us. We did not know of their presence.'
He introduced Damien Brown, one of the barristers who represented the sacked dockers at the Industrial Tribunal who addressed the conference on the anti-trade union laws.
