Hundreds turn out for Skilled Six fundraiser

BY SUE BULL

MELBOURNE — Despite much adverse publicity, 400 supporters of the
Skilled Six turned out on August 30 at Williamstown Town Hall for a dinner
to raise funds to help cover their legal costs.

It was a tremendous show of solidarity for the four Australian Manufacturing
Workers Union officials charged with criminal acts during an alleged “run-through”
of Skilled Engineering last year and the 17 AMWU members who are facing
possible charges over alleged incidents at a picket outside Johnson Tiles
on June 15, 2001.

Aside from the many AMWU members in attendance, the dinner was also
attended by officials and members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining
and Energy Union (CFMEU), the Federated Engine Drivers and Firemans Association,
the Electrical Trades Union, the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of
Australia (TCFUA), the United Firefighters Union and the Liquor, Hospitality
and Miscellaneous Workers Union. There was also significant attendance
from members of the Socialist Alliance and the Irish Social Club.

Jim Reid, Victorian secretary of the printing division of the AMWU,
was the compere for the night. He summed up the feelings of many at the
function when he noted how bad it was that the national leadership of the
AMWU had refused to pay the legal costs of the members charged or facing
charges over incidents at Skilled Engineering and Johnson Tiles — especially
since the alleged actions occurred in the course of struggles to defend
AMWU members' jobs.

CFMEU state secretary Martin Kingham and TCFUA state secretary Michele
O'Neil gave solidarity greetings. Kingham noted that AMWU members in Victoria
had often shown great solidarity with the CFMEU and there was no way that
the CFMEU in Victoria would give up on the Skilled Six solidarity campaign.
He also noted that there is a huge attack on union militants generally
in Victoria at the moment and that therefore the militants must stand together.

Chris Cain, a rank and file Maritime Union of Australia militant, member
of the Socialist Alliance and of the Defend the Unions campaign in Western
Australia, also gave greetings. He noted how the support of the CFMEU and
the AMWU during the MUA dispute of 1998 had been instrumental in helping
to fend off the federal government's attack. He felt this showed why union
militants must stand together when under attack from the state or even
from within their own union.

Finally Craig Johnston, the embattled state secretary of the AMWU, came
to the stage to thunderous applause. He thanked everyone who had helped
make the night and the campaign a success. He explained why the solidarity
night was important in bringing together all of the left unions and their
supporters to unite against such attacks. Johnston noted that it wasn't
only in the AMWU that a national leadership displayed little regard in
representing the real interests of workers, but how this has been a widespread
tendency that threatens to destroy the whole trade union movement.

Throughout the night large sums of money were raised. This included
$1000 from the auction of a Ned Kelly suit of armour made and donated by
Geelong workers for the Skilled Six Campaign. The winning bid was made
on behalf of Kevin Reynolds, the Western Australian CFMEU secretary.

From Green Left Weekly, September 4, 2002.

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From GLW issue 507