A-Infos (en)MUA:War on the wharfies 18 May update

[Takver <Takver@onaustralia.com.au>]

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News Summary - Monday 18 May
War on the Wharfies Homepage:
http://www.users.bigpond.com/Takver/soapbox/index.htm

CONTENTS
(18/5/98) Columbus Line preparing legal action against US Dockers Union
(18/5/98) Corrigan offers to cut conditions

New Legal references :
Stevedoring Levy (Collection) Bill 1998 (18 May)
Bills Digest No. 201 1997-98 - background information on this
controversial bill prepared for our politicians. You to can read it:
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bd/1997-98/98bd201.htm

Australasian Legal Information Institute Waterfront Index:
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/special/waterfront.html
High Court Decisions and Transcripts, Federal Court of Australia
Decisions, Supreme Court of Victoria Decisions

          -----------------------------------
News Summary - Monday 18 May
Columbus Line preparing legal action against US Dockers Union

Columbus Line was taking legal action against the international
Longshore and Warehouse Union over the weekend in an attempt to
discharge its containership the Columbus Canada at Los Angeles.
Doug Webster, a spokesman for Columbus Line in the US told DCN
the company’s attorneys were preparing papers for legal action
but details of the specifics of their suit would not be available
until filing.
(Daily Commercial News 18/5/98)

Corrigan offers to cut conditions

The administrators of the labour hire firms are saying they must
have access to the Government's waterfront redundancy package
(under the Stevedoring Levy (Collection) Bill 1998) if the
companies are to avoid liquidation.

Next Monday creditors will meet and vote on a proposal by the
administrators for a month to assess what manning levels and
work practices are required to qualify for the package.

Patrick has offered to re-hire 650 of the 1,400 sacked MUA
workers, mostly as crane operators, machinery drivers, clerks
and team leaders, as part of an enterprise agreement with
salaries ranging from $38,000 to $60,000 a year for a 35-hour
week, and a productivity bonus. 200 further positions in
maintenance, security and cleaning would be subcontracted.
The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) has rejected the proposal.

MUA Secretary John Coombs said about the offer: "He's got no
interest in a negotiated outcome. His only interest is to avoid
our court case and attempt to put this package through as some
sort of temptation to the workforce. The workers will reject it
in my view unanimously and we'll proceed to the Federal Court
on the conspiracy charges."

At Fremantle, the state secretary of the union, Terry Buck,
said attempts to organise a meeting of members was being
frustrated by security guards who are denying union officials
access to Patrick's terminal.

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War on the Wharfies is an independent web page which
contains:
* News reports on the Maritime Union of Australia fight against
  the rightwing attack by the National Farmers Federation,
  waterfront bosses, and federal and state governments.
* News on other union actions and progressive campaigns, or the
  general attack on workers rights or conditions

Takver@onaustralia.com.au
         War on the Wharfies - essential links
 http://www.users.bigpond.com/Takver/soapbox/index.htm
             http://www.yll.org.au/mua
 http://www.InsideTheWeb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi/mb63212
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