To ITF affiliated
Dock workers' Unions
and ITF FOC Inspectors
for information.

Circular No: 232/D.42/1997

London, 19 September 1997

Dear Friends,

Anti trade union policies in ports

At our Miami Dockers' Section Conference we unanimously adopted a resolution aimed at stopping the anti-trade union policies of authorities and employers. We also adopted an International Solidarity Contract. Recent developments in Sri Lanka and Australia have given cause for the development of a campaign aimed at the practical implementation of the resolution and the contract. According to the decision made in Miami the Steering Committee should be consulted if a campaign needs to be developed, including a strategy for targeting ships bound for ports where anti-trade union policies were to be taken extremely seriously. This situation has arisen in Sri Lanka and Australia and the Steering Committee is currently being consulted.

The formal endorsement of the Dockers' Section Resolution on anti trade union policies will be discussed at the forthcoming Seafarers' Section Conference in Singapore on 8 - 10 October 1997. Seafarers' support for the implementation of our Conference Resolution will be formally raised and is expected to be approved.

Sri Lanka.

By circular No. 5/S4/D3/1997, dated 6 January 1997, I informed all affiliates on developments in the Sri Lankan port of Colombo as a result of port reforms and the privatisation of the Queen Elizabeth terminal. Many affiliates have responded to the ITF's request to send messages to the Sri Lankan authorities. At the Dockers' Section Conference CMU's General Secretary Bala Tampoe kept affiliates up to date on developments in the port.

Recently the Port Authority of Colombo, employer of the dock workers, has taken some measures resulting in the weakening of our affiliates position. Four trade union activists, including the Assistant Secretary of CMU's Port Branch were sent on compulsory leave. Other activists have been transferred to the Port of Galle, more than 100 miles from Colombo and the advisor of the union has been refused entry to the port area and his permit has been withdrawn by the Port Authority.

On the 8 September the ITF sent the Port Authority a letter expressing its grave concern about the developments and urging the cancellation of the measures aimed at weakening the position of our affiliate. A copy of the letter is attached as Annex 1.

Australia

It is obvious that the Australian Government has started a war against what they see as one of Australia's strongest ITF affiliated trade unions, the Maritime Union of Australia. Until recently government plans indicated the possible interference of military troops in labour disputes in the ports. As you may recall MUA's National Secretary John Coombs arrived late at the Dockers' Section Conference in Miami as a result of union activities to stop the government's interference in labour disputes in the Australian Ports. Delegates were updated by Coombs on the 10 June. In a letter dated 8 September 1997 the ITF's General and Dockers' Section Secretaries expressed the ITF's solidarity with the MUA's efforts to stop further government attempts to weaken the waterfront workers' union. (Annex 2).

USA

I would like to make use of this opportunity to draw your attention once again to developments in the port of Los Angeles, where the new terminal operator LAXT still intends to employ non-union labour. It may be possible that I will have to add this case of anti trade union policy to the examples of Sri Lanka and Australia.

Further activities.

The intention of this circular is to keep you informed about recent developments in relation to the resolutions which were adopted at the Miami Dockers' Section Conference. In the cases of Sri Lanka, Australia and the USA the ITF Secretariat will continue to set up a permanent structure which will enable our affiliates, together with and co-ordinated by the ITF, to fight against these anti trade union policies. As we all know there will be no 'quick fix solution' or a 'one off action'. As discussed in Miami we need to be prepared to select our targets and plan our action carefully and continue to organise all kinds of actions until we have won. An action aimed at stopping all ships only for one day will not be sufficient, and we should look more to establishing a permanent threat to terminal operators and subsequently shipowners to disrupt their business as long as they make use of ports where unionised workers are being made victims of port reforms or attempts are carried out to destroy trade unions.

It may take some time, but at the end we will all benefit from a victory, as port employers, shipowners, shipmanagers but above all, shippers realise that they cannot escape world wide actions organised by ITF and its' affiliates.

Yours sincerely

Kees Marges,
Dockers' Section Secretary.

Enc: Annex 1 and Annex 2

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