> Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1996 01:50:27 +0000 > Sender: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > From: LabourNet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: International dockers 24 hr strike called > Comments: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], > [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > International dockers 24 hr strike called > > A worldwide storm is set to break over the Mersey Docks and Harbour > Company in just six weeks, with a 24-hour international shut-down of > the docks industry now planned for 20 January. > > The action will be both a coordinated show of solidarity with > locked-out Liverpool dockers and their families, an attack on > shipping lines which allow scabs to service their vessels or handle > their containers, and a demonstration that dockers throughout the > world are taking up the fight against casual labour, deregulation, > and privatisation. > > At least fifteen different dockers' unions and the International > Transport Workers' Federation are stating support for the plan. The > International Longshoremen and Warehousemen's Union on the North > American West Coast have taken a lead; last week their International > Executive Board moved a 24-hour blockade in all ILWU-organised ports > and this decision reflects the huge groundswell within ILWU locals. > > Liverpool dockers are also welcoming the new ITF position, which > calls on "affiliated organisations to undertake all possible legal > trade union strategies to put pressure on the Mersey Docks and > Harbour Company and on shipping firms carrying cargoes that have > been loaded by strike-breakers in Liverpool". > > These words will be tested in the North European ports of Antwerp, > Rotterdam, Bremerhaven and Hamburg, which hold the key to > trans-atlantic shipping lines ACL, CAST and CanMar, connecting North > America with Liverpool and Europe. While Swedish dockers have hit > ACL for twelve hours every week since the summer, Danish dockers > struck in solidarity with Liverpool in October, Le Havre held up an > OOCL vessel for sixteen hours and hosted the recent international > dockers' meeting, and the German OTV union Congress resolved to put > industrial pressure on Mersey Docks and shipping lines calling at > Liverpool, attempts to engage the Belgian and Dutch ports in > solidarity action have yet to bear fruit. > > When ACL pulled out from Liverpool for four weeks last summer, > Mersey Docks was in a panic. Now, despite their poor share price > and increasingly bad press, the company continues to put on a brave > face. If ACL, CAST, CanMar, ZIM, Andrew Weir, or Gracechurch were > to pull out now, MDHC would be back behind the eight ball. But that > can only happen when shipping lines discover they are all in trouble > half way round the world after calling in a scab port. > > Fifteen months into the lock-out, Mersey Docks thought Liverpool > dockers and their families were looking for any way out and would > grab the latest offer of 41 ancillary jobs and UKp25,000 severance > in the run-up to Christmas. But in fact, as one rank and file docker > put it last week, "I find I'm getting stronger and more determined to > win this, to make sure that we go back. I will admit that I do get > disillusioned at times, especially when I go down the picket line and > see three ships there. I say to myself, 'is this working, this > international set up?' And I think everybody must ask themselves that > question. > > But when you go round the country and see the commitment that people > have for you, you owe it to them as well to win a victory, not only > for ourselves but for other trade unionists. In Sweden, the dockers > took me down and showed me the ACL coming in, took a note of the > time, and took me back the next day and said, 'there is the ACL line > there, no work being carried out and it won't start until twelve > hours after it docked'. > > So I have seen it in operation, and I think it is tremendous that > anybody can give that support to somebody in another country, and I > only hope that we will be able to return the favour to those people > that supported us. > > I want to see the scabs out of the port, and I want to see the men > back that want to go back, and I want to see the union back in there > calling the shots, and let's have decent conditions. That's what I > want to see in the port of Liverpool." > > Please fax messages of support and pledges of industrial action to > (+44) 151-207 0696 and copy them by email to LabourNet > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > LabourNet report by Greg Dropkin > > Full coverage of Mersey docks dispute including article by John > Pilger is on the LabourNet web site http://www.labournet.org.uk >
