Oz v. Wharfies

Rob Schaap rws at comserver.canberra.edu.au
Sat May 16 02:26:06 PDT 1998


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.



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