On September 3, the Craig Johnston Trade Union Support Committee was formed and issued a statement saying that no trade unionist should be imprisoned for taking part in an industrial dispute.
The committee is calling for the immediate release of the former state secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, who received a nine-month prison sentence on August 27.
"This is not justice. This is politics", they said. "Whatever you think of Craig's actions, you shouldn't ever forget that this was all in response to a legitimate industrial dispute."
The committee members said Craig Johnston was only doing his job as a union organiser during the dispute when, in Johnston's own words, "things got out of hand". But this sentence is totally disproportionate to his actions", the
committee members added, pointing out that, despite thousands of workplace deaths caused by employer neglect, "you won't find one single employer behind bars".
The statement has been signed by Martin Kingham, Victorian CFMEU state secretary; Tom Watson, Victorian FEDFA state secretary; Earl Setches, national secretary and Victorian branch secretary CEPU-plumbing division; Dean Mighell, Victorian ETU state secretary; Dave Noonan, CFMEU national assistant secretary; Steve Dargavel, Victorian AMWU metals division state secretary; Bronwyn Halfpenny, Victorian AMWU food and confectionary division state secretary; Jim Reid,
Victorian AMWU printing division state secretary; Michele O'Neil, Victorian TCFU state secretary; Kevin Bracken, Victorian MUA state secretary; Leo Skourdoumbis, Victorian CFMU-FFTS state secretary; Joan Doyle, Victorian Communication Workers Union-postal branch state secretary; Len Cooper,
Victorian Communication Workers Union-telecommunications branch state secretary; Luke van der Meulen, CFMEU-Mining & Energy Victorian district president; and Jane Calvert, Victorian CFMEU-Forestry and Furnishing Products Division state secretary.
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, September 8, 2004.
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