
Issue No 41		26 November 1999

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News

Tug Action Hits Sydney Harbour

By Zoe Reynolds

MUA deckhands on tug services are taking protected action over proposals to cut crew in the new enterprise agreement negotiations.

Ports in NSW and WA commenced on Friday, November 19 and affect the ports of Sydney, Port Kembla and Fremantle in the west. The tug action will affect shipping in Port Botany and Sydney Harbour.

What's at issue? MUA tug delegate, Peter Lamond says key safety and industrial issues are the real reasons behind the dispute:

Lamond, works for the Patrick of the tug industry- Adsteam. Not only has the company attempted to have its 350 employees sign individually to an enterprise agreement currently under negotiation, they are pushing for labour cuts that would leave only one crew on deck during heavy seas or an emergency.

This is despite an ITF international survey on towage showing that four person tug crew is the norm, even after the introduction of new technology.

"Some countries have got magnetic hook ups for the lines," Lamond says. "Here we've got the same tired, old tugs we've had since the 80s. Even the new ones they're getting built don't have the new technology.

"They say the engineer can come on deck and assist, but if the alarm goes off he's straight off to the engineer room leaving deckhands like us in a precarious position. It's unworkable and it's unsafe.

"We've had a tanker run aground off Townsville. We were working in very bad conditions. The line snapped and we had to repair it on the job. It involved everyone on the tug but the skipper, with waves coming over the bow and water gushing everywhere. In sloppy, rough weather you've got one man running the break on the hook and the other fellow sending off lines. If you lose the second man, you're in all sorts of trouble. It would be too dangerous to carry on."

Adsteam, Townsville can do up to seven vessels on a day. When in port all crew are employed full time on maintenance - chipping and painting the tug as well as assisting the engineer with the oil change, bilge cleaning, changing filters etc.

"We're tried to convince the company of the stupidity of cutting crew," says Lamond. "But I think they wanted to push us into a blue. Their only motivation is profit. We're just not prepared to jeopardise people's lives for that."

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  Issue 41 contents

Interview: A Bob Each Way
ALP tactician Bob McMullan is responsible for charting Labor industry policy into the next millennium. He tells us where he�s heading.

Unions: Organiser of the Year
Just ten days to go before entries close for our $2000 air ticket. Here�s another nomination.

History: Labour Daze
A report from the 6th National Biennial Conference of the Australian Society For The Study Of Labour and Community.

Politics: Tomorrow�s Questions
While the turn of the century sees Sydney play host to the Olympic games, the International Youth Parliament 2000 will bring world focus to contemporary issues facing young people.

Health: Red Ribbons
December 1, World AIDS Day has a special place in the history of the AIDS pandemic.

International: Organised Chaos
Persistent rumours are floating around Jakarta that the former boss of the official pro-Soeharto Indonesian trade union movement is about to be charged with corruption.

Economics: Seattle Numbers Grow for WTO Protest
News of the agreement to smooth China�s entry to the World Trade Organisation has created its own "China Syndrome" for organisers of the Seattle WTO event.

Satire: Too Many Media Players!
The Productivity Commission has issued a report calling for the abolition of existing cross-media ownership laws.

Review: Leviathan
John Birmingham has lifted the lid on Sydney�s shady past - and found trade unions to be at the centre of the sordid tales.

Deface a Face: Reith Loses His Shine
With his Second Wave looking more like a splash in the bath-tub, Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith still reigns as the union movement�s favourite bogeyman.

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