By Jeremy Smith
MELBOURNE — Workers at the ACI Spotswood plant, who have staged a month-long picket, were charged and bashed by mounted police with batons on August 16.
The dispute started when ACI-BTR revealed plans to retrench 59 workers, mainly militants such as shop stewards and health and safety representatives. It escalated when the company locked out 137 workers.
Since August 12, the trucking companies had been breaking the picket line despite the directive from the Transport Workers Union not to cross the Trades Hall-endorsed picket line.
The police presence was increased when scabs started to cross the picket line. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union had agreed to meet ACI in the Industrial Relations Commission. However, the company management walked out of the discussions early on August 15.
On the morning of August 16, unions had organised a big and disciplined picket line to fend off any scabs entering the plant. Two mounted police charged the workers with batons, retreated and returned in greater numbers to resume the baton charge. The picketers held their ground.
Again the police retreated to gather in even greater numbers before launching a much larger and more vicious charge in an attempt to break the line.
The union shop stewards and organisers contacted the local shop stewards in the western suburbs and other workers for support. One thousand supporters joined the picket line, forcing the police to back off.
Dave Noonan, an organiser from the construction division of the CFMEU, told Green Left Weekly, "The level of support was fantastic. We'll continue the dispute until we get a result the members agree on. That will include: no compulsory redundancies, agreement by the unions on any voluntary redundancies and no victimisation of union members."