Union's heavyweight feud threatens P&O deal By MICHAEL BACHELARD Workplace relations writer http://www.theaustralian.com.au/index.asp?URL=/national/4270879.htm 18may99 A FEUD between the two hard men of the Maritime Union of Australia is jeopardising negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement with stevedore P&O Ports. Documents obtained by The Australian show that MUA federal secretary John Coombs called Sydney docks supremo Jim Donovan, a Communist Party of Australia member, a "disgrace" after the breakdown of a meeting between Mr Donovan and P&O early this month. The comment prompted NSW rank-and-file members to demand an apology from Mr Coombs, under threat of reprisals. A resolution, passed by union members at P&O's CTAL terminal in Sydney's Port Botany, threatened to "protest in a manner unprecedented in the history of our union" if Mr Coombs did not apologise. Another resolution, passed at Patrick's Port Botany terminal on May 4, said Mr Coombs's remark was "totally unacceptable". "Any attempt to remove Jim Donovan from the office of deputy branch secretary . . . will be met with the strongest protest this union has ever experienced," the resolution said. The union's Sydney terminal, under Mr Donovan, is the last holding out on signing a deal with P&O, and negotiations have failed to come up with an agreement. Mr Donovan said unidentified elements of his union had tried to bargain away the rights of his members without telling them. "There's no f . . . ing way we're (accepting the outcome of those negotiations)," he said. Mr Donovan said there had been "no improvement" in relations between the federal and State branches of the union since the resolutions were passed. But Mr Coombs said the incident was "rather old news" and "of no real significance". Negotiations for the new agreement must be finalised by the end of the month if P&O is to gain access to the redundancy money underwritten by the Federal Government. The deadline has already been extended once. Mr Coombs said a deal would be signed but the financial arrangements were not his concern. "There is nothing in the Workplace Relations Act that allows this Government to put a time frame on negotiations," he said. The MUA is in the throes of elections for key positions and Mr Donovan, who is retiring, is backing a group of candidates. -- 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
