From: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/index.asp?URL=/national/4315037.htm Corrigan slams police wharf role By MICHAEL BACHELARD 17mar99 PATRICK stevedores' chief Chris Corrigan yesterday accused Victorian police of shirking their duty during last year's bitter waterfront dispute. Police monitoring picketing unionists at Patrick's East Swanson Dock and the sub-let Webb Dock had failed to do their job and remove road blocks because they had been more concerned about gaining "assistance" from the ACTU for a pay claim of their own, Mr Corrigan said. His outburst, at a Melbourne business lunch, drew a sharp response from Victorian Chief Police Commissioner Neil Comrie, who defended the police actions. "Today's comments hardly deserve a response, however Mr Corrigan seems to seek a scapegoat for his poorly planned and executed exercise," Mr Comrie said in a statement. Mr Corrigan said police "did not do their job" during the drawn-out dispute and he had been "genuinely shocked" that some police involved had recently received high commendations for conspicuous service. "Service to whom?" Mr Corrigan asked. "As I understand it, the law in relation to picketing is clear . . . But in Melbourne the police stood by and watched as steel girders were welded across the road to permanently block access. "I believe as citizens you should be concerned about the lasting significance of that inaction by the police," he said. Mr Corrigan said later that he could no longer rely on the Victoria Police because they had taken the law "into their own hands". Asked why, he replied: "It's very clear � they made it plain during the course of the dispute that the ACTU is giving them quite a deal of assistance in their pay objectives." But Mr Comrie criticised Mr Corrigan for failing to consult police before sub-letting Webb Dock and sacking more than 2000 wharfies. If he had, "he would have discovered that he was operating on shaky legal ground," Mr Comrie said. "Obviously Mr Corrigan is quite happy to criticise from the comfort of his office and not put himself in a position that he expected police to put themselves in," he said. ACTU assistant secretary Greg Combet said it was "absolute drivel" to suggest the police were in cahoots with the unions, saying instead it had been a "very tense" relationship. While the police had been involved in enterprise bargaining negotiations at the time, "it had nothing to do with the ACTU", which was not negotiating on their behalf. Mr Corrigan said that as a result of the dispute and the subsequent enterprise bargaining agreement, East Swanson was now the most efficient port in the country and the cost of shipping goods was cheaper than at any time in history. Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
