Bulk carrier owners avoiding Australian ports

[Bruce Morris]

There is of course the probably apocryphal but certainly believable story of the Aussie stevedores demanding extra "embarrassment" money to discharge a load of toilet pans!

I don't decry the original purpose of unions, which were laudable.

All too often they became dominated by megalomaniac leaders who revelled in the power they wielded rather than look after the interests of their members.

The unions would resist obvious change instead of embracing it.

"The writing on the wall" was not in their rule book!

[Ivan Cloherty]

Terry #8, what you say makes sense, but if you thought that for one moment that the WWF in Oz did it for the safety of the crew (or stevedores) then you may be sadly mistaken. They introduced these delaying tactics to give their members more pay for less work and any excuse would do. If it rained they wouldn't work in the rain and demanded shipowner provided oilskins, give them the oilskins and the ship owner had admitted it was raining, and the stevedores still wouldn't work in the rain. so could knock off and come back next day, when it would be too hot to work, or some other excuse. I had to fly out a brand new gangway (Linkletters) to Fremantle, install it and the stevedores still wouldn't use it, I had to send it ashore, have it cut in half, rejoin it, and issue it with an Australian certificate. In the meantime I hired the gangway the Queen had used on her visit and the stevedores refused to use it, until I advised the WWF rep that I had asked the local radio station to come down and discuss with him, why if the gangway was good enough for the Queen why wasn't it good enough for his members. That had the desired result. There were many instances of nonsensical WWF requirements that had nothing at all to do with safety, too many to list.

As for wires breaking, even new wires off the reel can break, cars driven out of a showroom can breakdown. Masters, Chief Officers, Chief and second engineers, as well as Chief Stewards on vessels trading to Oz, knew that everything had to be shipshape, but the WWF would still invent something.

[Red Lead Ted]

Your reply to my post Ivan doesn't surprise me at all and to a certain extent you have a point i agree they had shipping companies by the short and curl's at all times, I am not going to argue over that but the deck of any ship was a very hazardous place. Which obviously they took it to the limit and new how far they could go before conceding and working the ship, They where a very powerful union and as you say they where always on a good earner, Having said that i dont recall many companies pulling the plug on trade with OZ, So i take it both made a good earner representation in the workplace is something British seaman could never boast. Thats life Ivan Regards Terry.

[happy daze john in oz]

Many who knew will tell you that the Unions destroyed the Martime industry here in Oz.
Yes demanding embarassment money to unload toilets made in France is one of the many occasions of such ideology of the Unions.

Too cold, too hot to work, too wet or not enough time were some of the excuses used.

As to the Union leaders, all they were concerned with, and to some extent still are, is the power their position gave them and the possibility they may one day be able to stand for Parliament.

The harder they came down on the employer the more likely members would vote for them, even if it saw some jobs go or major changes.
In the end their political mates would look after them.