Ministers knew of wharf sackings
By SID MARRIS
THE AUSTRALIAN 16may98
THE Federal Government discussed plans to dismiss unionised waterfront workforces as early as March 1996 as part of a ministerial plan to reform the industry, confidential notes show.
They indicate two senior Howard Government ministers discussed an immediate plan by stevedore P&O Ports to replace workers with another trained group in the event of a strike.
Notes kept from a meeting between Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith and then transport minister John Sharp show P&O managing director Richard Setchell had a strike-breaking operation ready to go.
The revelations come as the Government remains under Opposition and union pressure to explain its foreknowledge of Patrick's bid to train a non-union workforce first in Dubai and later under the farmer-backed PCS group at Webb Dock.
They will fuel union claims the Government was set on provoking a dispute, a key part of the upcoming conspiracy case against Patrick and the Government.
The notes show the ministers believed the "best ground" for waging a dispute would be the sale of shipping line ANL or other shipping reforms
contained in the Coalition's pre-election policy.
"They (P&O) will go for broke," Mr Sharp told Mr Reith, according to the notes.
"Setchell has a command post all set. He'll sack them all.
"It will take them a fortnight to start up again into operation."
The notes show Patrick was expected to follow P&O's lead.
Government officials are expected to argue that the confidential notes back government claims that general discussions about replacing workers in the event of a strike were commonplace in the industry.
"Any discussion we have had is not about getting every member of the MUA, it's a question of what do you do if they are all on strike," a government source said yesterday.
The notes warn the Government would have to prepare the public and the business community for a confrontation, adding that the Christmas period slowdown would cause less damage.
P&O has always denied any involvement in the Dubai or PCS Group schemes.