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US protests Australian waterfront
sackings
South News 9 April
San Francisco: Seven American union workers have been arrested
after blocking the entrance to the Australian Consulate in a protest
against the sacking of the wharfies in Australia. The San
Francisco-based International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) is
the latest international organisation to support the sacked workers from
Patrick stevedores in Australia.
A delegation from the ILWU met with a consulate representative in San
Francisco, and delivered a demand for the Australian wharfies to be
re-instated. The American unionists then blockaded the front door of the
consulate before the police were called. The arrested unionists,
including the ILWU president Brian McWilliams, have been charged with
trespassing.
Mr. Price says further industrial action in support of the Australian
workers is expected. In a dramatic move on April 7, anti-union employers
Patrick Stevedores announced that they were sacking their entire
waterfront workforce of 2100 workers after negotiations over new working
practices broke down. The ICFTU is calling for international solidarity
from unions worldwide and
is alerting its Human and Trade Union Rights Committee to the situation.
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