BY LIAM MITCHELL
SYDNEY — As 40 workers started their 12th week of strike action, 200 people turned up for a community picket to support the strike at the Morris McMahon site on June 5.
Although the dispute began over working hours in March, it has become a fight for the right to be in a union and for the workers to have a legally enforceable agreement over wages and conditions.
Morris McMahon owner Judy Beswick has sued the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) for $700,000 of damages for supporting its members. She obtained an injunction against the union and the striking workers to stop them blocking scabs from entering the factory.
Beswick has also sought an injunction against the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), which has organised its members to join the picket. She has subpoenaed footage from the independent Actively Radical TV to identify MUA members who have participated in the pickets.
The June 5 community picket included 100 workers from a local construction site.
Negotiations between the AMWU and management, long stalled because management refused to agree to anything other than workers signing individual contracts, started again the day before the community picket.
The AMWU, with the agreement of the striking workers, asked supporters at the picket not to block access to the factory for the scabs while the negotiations took place. After some discussion, supporters agreed.
Supporters also agreed to keep coming back on a weekly basis to support the striking workers and force management to accept a union-endorsed enterprise agreement.
Green Left Weekly spoke to delegate Keith Brown about the morale of the striking workers. "I believe that we've hardened because we've been out for so long. The people who are out here now are not going to go back in until they get a resolution they're happy with", he said.
"[Management has] gone for [individual contracts] because it doesn't want the union in there. Most of the people who are in there now have signed them and they're now claiming they've got the majority [signed to individual contracts]. That's not quite true, because they've employed a number of casuals full-time, providing they sign the AWA, to boost the numbers and get that majority.
"In terms of the permanent employees who were working there before the strike, we still have the majority. [Management is] definitely anti-union and we've just got to work through that. We've started to meet with them and hopefully their attitude is softening slightly."
Van, a worker at the factory for 22 years, told Green Left Weekly, "The people outside are still strong and very happy to see the tremendous support from the different unions." She said that because the workers have stayed so strong while on strike, they would be in a stronger situation when they went back in.
Dan Murphy, an organiser with the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, explained to Green Left Weekly why the CFMEU was supporting the dispute. "It doesn't affect us directly, but it's become a bit of an acid test for the whole union movement in Sydney now and if it gets up here, it would be a morale booster for everyone who's been involved.
"On the flip side, if we lose it, and [the workers] have to go back with their tails between their legs, it's going to be a morale sapper. So there is actually quite a lot riding on this for all the unions."
Community pickets will be happening every Thursday morning at the factory from 6.30am. The factory is located at 34 Arncliffe St, Arncliffe. For more information on the pickets, call Liam on 0415 365 937.
From Green Left Weekly, June 11, 2003.
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