BY NOREEN NAVIN
Despite incredibly short notice it was inspiring to hear the Labor Council call for a blockade of parliament. It reminded me of the unity and successes of S11 and M1 where we collectively demonstrated the power of people and the power of the streets. I thought that collectively the union movement would be able to regain some of its solidarity in action.
I was therefore a little surprised and disappointed to learn that the decision-makers had determined that we should allow the Liberal and National politicians inside, and then the independents and the media.
I know NSW Teachers' Federation officials Sue Simpson and Maree O'Halloran did not agree with this and heard many activists complaining and arguing against it. I thought that this naive approach in the end contributed to the failure of the picket to prevent the legislation being tabled.
Many workers on my picket, primarily construction workers, electricians and plumbers, were in dismay at the instruction to allow so many people in and out. They urged us to block anyone from entering and leaving. They tried to defy the marshals who would respond with terse authority. The lack of debate left activists frustrated.
The intermittent lifting of picket lines to let the so-called "approved" people through was demoralising and raised many questions among rank-and-filers about how to run a real blockade.
It was such a contrast to the M1 blockade where all decisions where discussed debated and voted on openly by the activists present. It seemed that if broader voices were given the space to be heard, many would have supported the logic that if you call a blockade then its purpose is to block all entry.
I really pondered who made the decision to allow the cops in and out. Again it was a problem that the blockade leaders didn't actually explain the situation.
Didn't it make sense to assume that the police were inside being primed up in tactics and strategies and being fed the information about which blockade point was the most sparse?
Many union delegates and official that I spoke to on the picket seemed to have concurred with the Labor Council view that the cops are "workers" just doing a job. This meant that marshals insisted that there should be absolutely no verbal attacks or abuse toward them. Some marshals even joked around with police as they allowed them free entry and exit.
I received abuse from marshals on my picket and was accused of being provocative and trying to incite the cops when some of us pointed out that a few police did not have their badges on. The marshals seemed unaware of the fact that the S11 inquiry had shown that was illegal. At least one cop near me was wearing a badge with a gun, so I wondered where the real provocations lie.
The police were not there to defend the interests of workers even though it is true that reduced Workcover will hurt them too. If the Police Association was a genuine union it would have been standing alongside us. The cops' role as defenders of the state was patently obvious after they had manhandled us and ambushed us with horses.
I happened to be on the entrance where Premier Bob Carr was forced through. One minute I was standing right in the doorway chanting and the next I was being squashed so that I couldn't breathe.
The same cops who the marshals had been granting free passage and joking with were suddenly spewing out of the doorway following their orders to push and heave and horde us all together. The Teachers' Federation flagpole snapped against my back with the weight of the sea of cops behind me.
The street was empty because the road had been blocked off and then they came at us from all sides. The tussle went on for a good 20 minutes with us holding them back.
Unfortunately our entrance was weak because there had been little communication from the marshals, let alone practice of how to lock on and link up arms in anticipation of a break-out. John Morris, another Teachers Federation activist, and I had been constantly rounding people up.
Despite a valiant standoff and resistance by the workers, the police wedge worked eventually. Greens MP Lee Rhiannon and I were flung out on to the road — me being dragged away by my hair. We sustained bruises and injury as we were thrown to the ground. John Kaye from the Greens had likely broken ribs. When I looked around the cop had no badge on.
The horses then barged in to keep us corralled against the fence and truly divided as they parted the waters. Like a biblical figure, Carr glided triumphantly through the crowd with a not-very-saintly expression on his face. John Aquilina was also grinning when he was escorted through.
We have subsequently learnt that they could have entered through a secret entrance. It is obvious that this was a show of strength, a publicity stunt. It will backfire on the ALP government because unionists are very clear that this is a party that does not stand for our values and interests.
[Noreen Navin is a delegate for the NSW Teachers' Federation and a member of the Socialist Alliance.]