Socialists demand release of jailed unionist

Issue 

The following statement was issued in response to the August 27 jailing of former Australian Manufacturing Workers Union Victorian secretary Craig Johnston.

We, the undersigned Socialist Alliance candidates in Victoria for the upcoming federal election, fully support Craig Johnston and condemn his jailing by the state.

Craig is a valued member of the Socialist Alliance, a committed unionist and a comrade to many. The Socialist Alliance feels that Craig was not pursued by the state because of the charges brought against him arising from a protest at Skilled Engineering — criminal damage, affray and [verbal] assault.

Hundreds of university students have done as much, and more, in protesting cuts to education. The 1997 occupations at Melbourne University and RMIT are prime examples in that each caused tens of thousands of dollars of "criminal damage", without anyone facing court let alone jail. The latter even gained the support of almost half the Australian Senate.

Socialist Alliance supports the right of students to protest, but the comparison begs the question of why the law is applied differently. It seems the state's answer is that university students can take action in defence of their education with limited fear of retribution but workers cannot take action in defence of their livelihoods without facing the full force of state sanctions.

As Craig Johnston's trial judge noted, the action Craig and other workers were involved in arose from a legitimate industrial dispute involving Johnson Tiles and Skilled Engineering. Johnson Tiles sacked 29 long-term employees and replaced them with labour-hire workers from Skilled Engineering. Is it OK for employers to destroy workers' lives but not OK for workers to destroy a pot plant?

James Hardie has condemned workers to death through asbestosis yet not one member of its board is facing criminal charges. Skilled Engineering suffers $44,000 worth of damage to office furniture and one of the people involved is sentenced to almost three years jail. These double standards in the law are endless.

Craig's real offence is not what he has been jailed for. His real offence, in the eyes of the employers and the state, was to be an effective union leader who organised workers in the manufacturing industry to successfully campaign for major improvements in their wages and conditions and health and safety.

Craig Johnson is our comrade and we shall campaign for his immediate release.

[Signed by Josephine Cox (candidate for the seat of Hotham), David Glanz (Wills), Tim Gooden (Corio), Chris Johnson (Corangamite), Zoe Kenny (Melbourne), Graham Matthews (Batman), Linda Waldron (Gellibrand), Lalitha Chelliah (the Senate) and Sue Bolton (the Senate).]

From Green Left Weekly, September 8, 2004.
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