Wharves at flashpoint with Patrick peace deal under fire

By Judy Hughes, Industrial Correspondent, 9 October 1998

CONCERNS among Patrick stevedore workers about the peace deal that settled the waterfront dispute are approaching flashpoint at a key terminal and placing heavy strain on the union leadership.

As the stevedore yesterday stepped up pressure on the Maritime Union of Australia to rein in two NSW officials, one of those officials accused the company of running the Port Botany terminal in Sydney like a concentration camp.

And MUA deputy NSW secretary Jim Donovan said his branch of the union was not the only one fielding complaints from worried Patrick workers. He said MUA officials across the country were deeply worried about heavy handed management practices at Patrick sites and the safety implications of reduced manning and new work arrangements.

They can't get the joint going at the end of a whip, he said.

Patrick claim Mr Donovan and one of his organisers, Glen Wood, have been engaging in a campaign of non-co-operation at Port Botany, resulting in dramatically lower productivity rates compared with other ports.

A company spokeswoman said yesterday Mr Wood, in particular, had been very abusive.

Patrick had applied to the Industrial Relations Commission for Mr Wood's permit to enter Port Botany to be revoked and a hearing was yet to be scheduled. Rival stevedore P&O took similar action against Mr Wood earlier this year.

Mr Donovan yesterday defended Mr Wood, saying he had been deliberately provoked by Patrick and the organiser was in fact a gentle giant.

The NSW branch of the MUA is recognised as the most militant and is also engaging in a go-slow in Sydney at P&O's operations.

MUA national secretary John Coombs conceded there were problems at Port Botany, but said officials were operating in a difficult environment.

Mr Donovan yesterday confirmed Patrick had sidelined the NSW branch and instead was dealing directly with the MUA's federal office over differences in interpretation of the agreement which settled the dispute.

While he said there was no problem with the NSW branch's relationship with the union's federal office, he nonetheless expressed serious reservations about the peace deal which was negotiated by the federal leadership.