MUA struggle continues
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — Tensions on and off the waterfront continue to simmer here as the Maritime Union of Australia prepares for the next round of its confrontation with the federal government and Patrick.
On May 15, MUA members at P&O walked off the job briefly to challenge former scab Patrick employees who demonstrated on the Port of Brisbane Road, at Fisherman Island, against the re-employment of MUA labour at Patrick. P&O workers returned to the job after 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, Patrick computer records released by the MUA reveal that Brisbane's union work force is moving containers at three to four times the rate non-union employees achieved during the lock-out of MUA members. The scab work force reached a gross rate of crane lifts between six and 12 an hour, compared with a national average of 18 for MUA labour.