BY SUE BOLTON
SYDNEY Delegates from the NSW printing division of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union met on August 22 to discuss the sacking of national industrial officer for the printing division, Denis Matson, by AMWU national secretary Doug Cameron and printing division federal secretary Steve Walsh. Matson was sacked without warning on August 12.
Walsh did not inform the printing division's state secretaries that Matson was to be sacked, nor did he call a meeting of the federal executive of the division to discuss his action.
The 65 delegates at the August 22 meeting, from 45 different sites, represented all sections of the printing division's membership.
NSW printing division secretary Amanda Perkins reported on Matson's sacking, the establishment of a picket line outside the Melbourne AMWU office in protest at the sacking and threats of legal action by the AMWU national office against Victorian printing division officials, and other AMWU officials, who have supported the picket.
Walsh was given the opportunity to defend his actions. Walsh claimed that Matson had "undermined" him and therefore had to be sacked. Walsh claimed (as did Doug Cameron in a letter to Victorian delegates on August 16) that the picketers were trying to force the union to pay legal bills incurred by Victorian AMWU secretary Craig Johnston.
In the discussion period, Victorian printing division organiser Lorraine Cassin disputed Walsh's comments. The picket of the Melbourne office was solely in support of the reinstatement of Matson. "Reinstate Matson and the picket will be lifted", she insisted.
Matson told the meeting, "I am being shafted for trying to bring the printing [division] branches together. The dispute is about democracy in the union. If we don't stand up to this, there'll be no democracy in the union. Anyone who doesn't agree with Doug Cameron is subject to being sacked."
Delegates from Visy workplaces voiced their anger at Matson's sacking. Matson was leading a campaign to prevent the establishment of a non-unionised Visy plant in Wodonga when he was sacked. The campaign stopped dead in its tracks and campaign meetings were cancelled by the AMWU national office.
AMWU NSW secretary Paul Bastian, standing in for Cameron, declared that the dispute over Matson's dismissal "had been hijacked by Workers First", the militant faction that leads Victorian AMWU branch. Bastian backed his claims by saying that Workers First people are involved in the negotiations with Cameron over the dispute and that Workers First people are on the picket line.
Cassin, who is one of those involved in the negotiations with Cameron, disputed Bastian's claims of a Workers First hijacking. Cassin explained that at the first meeting with Cameron over the issue of reinstating Matson, Cameron refused to meet with the printing division officials unless Workers First officials were also involved.
In discussion, delegate after delegate condemned the sacking of Matson and called for Walsh's resignation. A resolution was passed which called for the "immediate reinstatement of national industrial officer Denis Matson", declared "no confidence in federal secretary Steve Walsh", condemned "attacks on free speech and independent thought" in the union, demanded an "urgent federal executive meeting to discuss" the issues raised, condemned the use of anti-worker laws by the AMWU national office against the Victorian branch and directed "the printing division regional council executive to coordinate whatever steps are necessary to protect the printing division's independence and effectiveness". Only one delegate voted against the resolution.
An amendment which called on the NSW printing division officials to investigate options for leaving the AMWU and moving to another union was defeated.
From Green Left Weekly, August 28, 2002.
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