
Issue No 78		17 November 2000

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

Activists

Waterfront Hero Bows Out

By Zoe Reynolds

John Coombs, the man the government compared to Ned Kelly - villain to the bosses, the big land owners and conservatives, folk hero to working Australians - bows out of the union movement next month.

Best known for leading his union to victory through the war on the waterfront, the national secretary of the Maritime Union, retires aged 60 after 38 years in the MUA and eight years at the helm. His deputy Paddy Crumlin, a former seafarer, will take over the leadership by unanimous decision of national council, with assistant secretary Mick O'Leary promoted to deputy.

John Coombs one time aspiring jockey, tradesman, wharfie, winemaker and weekend farmer counts among his greatest achievements chairing Australia's top industry super fund, SERF, now boasting an $180 million surplus, finalising the amalgamation of wharfies and seafarers and his role on the international stage as an executive member of the International Transport Workers' Federation.

"I'm going to leave knowing my life would have been totally different but for the union. No other way would I have seen the world, sitting on executive boards, meeting people around the globe and enjoying the respect this union and the Australian labour movement has earned internationally."

Besides leading 2000 sacked wharfies back through the gates after the Patrick dispute, John Coombs has knotched up dozens of industrial victories - his first win against Chris Corrigan in 1994 with the reinstatement of 55 sacked workers at Port Botany, the Buckeridge dispute in WA and the Labor government shipping policy of 1994 and 2000, land mark court victories against the government and Corrigan, and, more recently, court wins on behalf of the thousands of maritime workers exposed to asbestos.

His successor Paddy Crumlin paid tribute to his mentor's ability to take on the challenge of building a union of common interest and intent. "It's not easy combining two unions both with strong individual traditions, melding two hard metals into an alloy and tool in defence of maritime workers. John Coombs did this, drawing together the considerable intellect and talent in this union. He should be congratulated in delivering this no less for our victory in the Patrick dispute,a victory which put unionism back where it must be - in the community."

Assistant Secretary Mick O'Leary described John Coombs "not just as the right man in the right place at the right time, but an all time great union leader."

ACTU leader Greg Combet flew to Sydney especially to be by John's side for the media conference which attracted no less journalists than during the heady days of the 1998 dispute. Sitting beside framed portraits of union greats Jim Healy and Elliot V Elliot with John, Greg described the outgoing national secretary as his best mate and one of the greatest union leaders this country has produced.

This follows the ACTU secretary's tribute to John's leadership during the Patrick dispute at Congress in Wollongong earlier this year: "John was tough, reasoned, intelligent and compassionate throughout. He made every hard call, and I can tell you that there were many. He put absolutely everything on the line, and at great personal cost, never compromising his integrity or his commitment to the members and the union.

"Everywhere we went he attracted people in the street offering their encouragement and support," said Combet. "There is an inside story yet to be told about that dispute. One with a labour history perspective. And when it is eventually told it will record John Coombs as a tremendously courageous and decent person, a person who inspired others, a person who saved his union, and to whom we are indebted."

But the MUA leader said he not have won on his own. "Internationally we had the backing of the ICFTU and the ITF, in Australia we had the ACTU and the labour councils. They played a key role, not only mobilising workers on the pickets, but getting the broader community on side - everyone from artists, actors, writers, environmentalists, the church and sporting heroes. We could not have done it alone."

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  Issue 78 contents

Interview: Doubly Blessed
With that unforgettable name, Grace Grace is making her mark as the first female secretary of the Queensland trade union movement.

Unions: On The Line
Trade unions this week entered a landmark partnership with the call centre industry to improve the quality jobs in this growing sector.

History: Conspiracy or Class? The Whitlam Sacking
Never trust a man who wears a top hat and tails in Australia, in Summer. Neale Towart considers this and other evidence of conspiracy in the great shonky dismissal.

Legal: Return Of The Lock-out
Marian Baird reports on the increasing tendency of aggressive employers to use lock-outs to reduce wages and conditions and promote individual agreements.

Activists: Waterfront Hero Bows Out
John Coombs, the man the government compared to Ned Kelly - villain to the bosses, the big land owners and conservatives, folk hero to working Australians - bows out of the union movement next month.

International: Morocco Stonewalls In Western Sahara
Morocco has new king but its old game plan of defying world opinion over its occupation of the Western Sahara continues.

Review: The Identity-Shifting Pragmatist
If New Zealand should have an Australian as its first Labour Prime Minister, then it is only fitting that Australia should have as its first a man who spent much of his formative years across the ditch.

Satire: Hackers Infect Microsoft Computers With Mysterious Windows Virus
SEATTLE, Thursday: Shame-faced workers at Microsoft admitted today that hackers had succeeded in penetrating their network's defences and had installed a sophisticated virus on the Apple Macintosh machines used across the software giant's operations.

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