World-wide support for striking Liverpool Dockers
* Britain
Dockers in the British port of Liverpoo have been on strike since September
1995, when Torside Ltd sacked its 80 workers, in an attempt to re-introduce casual labour for the loading and unloading of ships. A further 350 dockers of the semi-public Merseyside
Dock and Harbour Company and
12 workers from a smaller ballot. So we did. We wanted to prove, to the union leadership as well management, that support was as strong as on day one. We were proved right. • The anti-trade union laws introduced by successive Conservative governments have proved the biggest single obstacle to this struggle. What can the mass meetings in all parts of both ports. The Australian and Quebec dockers promised regular financial support, overtime bans and go-slows, and a 24 hour strike whenever a ship arrives from or leaves for Liverpool. There are cargoes rotting at sea outside both ports! Montreal dockers also organised a meeting with one of the
WORKERS company called Nelson Freight were sacked when they refused to cross a picket line established by the Torside workers. This dispute is unofficial under Britain's restrictive labour legislation, because the dockers did not hold a ballot before announcing strike action. If the Transport and General Workers* Union (TGWU) recognises the dispute, it risks the sequestration (confiscation) of its funds. The outstanding solidarity of dockers round the world, in resistance to attempts to reintroduce the horrors of casual labour, has brought this 'local' dispute to the centre of attention among militants everywhere. Glen Voris interviews Tony Nelson, Shop Steward in charge of picketing, Jimmy Nolan, Chairman of the Mersey Docks Shop Stewards Committee, and Terry Teague, Shop Steward in charge of International Relations. • How strong is the strikers' mood? Jimmy Nolan: The general feeling of the men is that we won't go back to work until every sacked worker is reinstated with full trade union recognition. And the proposed introduction of casual labour must be scrapped. The twelve shop stewards, and another 40 dockers regularly speak to meetings up and down the country. Over 2,100 meetings so far! • What about the union leadership? Jimmy Nolan: Because of the Tory Anti-Trade Union laws, the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) hasn't yet supported us officially. They are too worried about their funds being confiscated. But the leadership has organised a hardship fund. We want this to become a regular commitment, so that the strikers receive hardship money every week. So that they don't end up on their knees. We have been demanding that the leadership campaigns vigorously, and resists all the anti-trade-union laws. But our arguments have fallen on deaf ears. The leadership neither recommended management's latest offer, nor opposed it. They urged us to hold a 16 International Viewpoint April 1996 unions do to defeat these laws?
Jimmy Nolan: These are political laws, introduced by the Tories and the bosses to strangle trade unions, and workers from taking solidarity action. If Labour leader Tony Blair is elected, I don't see him scrapping these laws. The only way to defeat them is by the working class itself resisting. This means overcoming our fear of mass unemployment. Building a roots move-ment, based on a nat-ional shop stewards' organisation. And try-ing to force the leaders of each union to break these political laws.
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Liverpool dockers' leaders Jimmy Davis (left) and Jimmy Nolan (Right) with San Francisco docker Jack Heyman. • You have received tremendous support from abroad Terry Teague: Four weeks into the dispute we visited dockers in Bilbao, Spain, the destination of many of the containers which sail from Liverpool. We were very disappointed that the union leadership in Bilbao refused to let us meet rank-and-file dockers inside the port. But they did promise regular financial support, and go-slows whenever containers from Liverpool arrived.
Then we visited Stockholm, Sweden. We hadn't received an official invitation from their union, but the dockers were brilliant. The union leadership organised meetings with the rank-and-file, all of which were very well-attended. The Swedish dockers not only pledged regular financial support. They agreed not to handle any containers coming from or destined for Liverpool. And we agreed to maintain regular contacts.
Two delegates from the strikers then visited Montreal, Canada, while two others headed towards Sydney, Australia. Support in both cities was tremendous. There were container ship companies, but unfortunately there were no concrete results. In both places, the highlight was certainly the contact with the rank and file. Our two delegates in Sydney spoke to 21 meetings!
The Longshoreman's Union of America picked up our dispute on the Internet! They sent $5,000 and messages of support before we even visited New York. After our meeting, they agreed to block any ship loading or unloading Liverpool cargo, in all the major ports of the USA, Atlantic and Pacific sides!
This forced Atlantic Containers Ltd, the major customer of Liverpool docks, to meet and discuss with us. They later said that "unless the dispute in Liverpool is concluded with a satisfactory agreement between both parties" they would look to move their ships to another British port. He set a deadline of January 15th.
This forced the Merseyside Dock and Harbour Company to the negotiating table — for the first time since the dispute started. This resulted in the offer we put to ballot on February 8th. Management proposed 40 reinstatements, and a f25,000 pay off (and f30,000 in pension rights) for the other 310. Eighty-five percent of the 350 sacked workers rejected this offer.
After our visit to the US, we drew up a list of where Liverpool trade goes to. On the basis of this analysis we sent delegates to visit dockers in Italy, Greece, Israel, France and New Zealand. Dockers in all these countries have send regular cash donations, organised go-slows, and implemented overtime bans.
When we think about the warmth and solidarity we have met everywhere, we realise that we should have concentrated on getting international support right at the beginning of the movement, rather than going "all ouf" for national support. * Messages of support and donations to the strikers' hardship fund can be sent to Merseyside Dockers Shop Stewards Committee", c/o Jim Davis, Secretary/Treasurer, MDSSC, 119 Scorton St, Liverpool L64 AS. Interview carried out by Glenn Voris, Secretary of St. Helens TUC