A reminder of courage and determination 1995 Liverpool dock workers' dispute commemorated

A reminder of courage and determination 1995 Liverpool dock workers' dispute commemorated
http://unitelive.org/a-reminder-of-courage-and-determination/
29 September 2015
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A reminder of courage and determination
1995 Liverpool dock workers' dispute commemorated
Ryan Fletcher, Monday, September 28th, 2015

Trade unionists from across the globe gathered in Liverpool yesterday (September 26), to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the city’s historic 1995 dock workers’ dispute.

Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey, at a rally commemorating the valiant and innovative efforts of the 500 dockers, thanked them for instigating a resurgence of affective trade unionism and, for the first time, apologised for the previous T&G union leadership’s “betrayal” of their cause.

The dispute started in September 1995, after dockers refused to cross picket lines set up by 80 men sacked by the Torside company. That act of solidarity led the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (MDHC) to fire 329 of its employees. It was the beginning of a two and a half year battle that would see the Liverpool Dockers mobilise a worldwide fightback, despite being abandoned by their union’s leaders.

Ports throughout America were shut down in support of the dockers’ cause, Liverpool star striker Robbie Fowler was fined £900 for wearing the iconic “CK” T-shirt during a UEFA game, while the stalwart Women of the Waterfront group took the campaign right to the front door of Number 10.

Across the globe unions and campaign groups pledged solidarity and gave assistance. Many dockworkers and campaigners – from Australia, American, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Denmark and Turkey – who backed the Liverpool dockers during the dispute, were in attendance yesterday.

Although the dockers never got their jobs back, their struggle for justice changed trade unionism for the better. It led to the establishment of Liverpool’s famous Casa bar and community centre and the International Dockworkers Council (IDC). The campaign also resulted in a Channel 4 film written by the dockworkers themselves with the help of novelist Irvine Welsh and screenwriter Jimmy McGovern.

Mr McCluskey, himself an ex-Liverpool docker, spoke about toll the campaign took on those involved.

“Families lost their homes; some men, and many were my friends, were left broken. Some died in the struggle, and I will always pay tribute to them. The Liverpool dockers rejected the Thatcher anti-democratic, anti-worker creed. They rejected the onward march of casualisation and by doing so, they showed the way forward for fighting back trade unionism,” he said.

With the present Tory government intent on forcing through new draconian anti-trade union laws, the strikers’ stand is a model for today, explained Mr McCluskey.

“This is why I say that the leadership of the T&G betrayed the Liverpool dock workers – they themselves did not have the courage or the conviction of the dockers. Had they had that conviction we would have won that struggle.

“And it is why, as general secretary of Unite, I stood before the dockers to apologise for that betrayal. I only wish I’d have been general secretary then,” he said.

Relentless determination

The dispute came to an end in January 1998 when the exhausted dockers accepted compensation from MDHC. But the dockers’ story was far from over. In 1999 Channel 4 released a film written by dockers involved in the dispute, who where assisted with the script by Jimmy McGovern and Irvine Welsh. The film, starring Ricky Tomlinson, Katy Lamont, Chrissy Rock and Ken Stott, netted them £127,000. The money was used to purchase the Casa bar in Liverpool city centre.

Known locally as “the Dockers’ Pub” the Casa has helped thousands of people over the years, as Unite Regional Officer Terry Teague, who was a shop steward at the time of the dispute, explained.

“The Casa has become an open house to groups and individuals from across the Merseyside community who are fighting for a cause or have been hurt and victimised by the political structures that govern today’s society. We pride ourselves on never turning anyone away; if we can’t help then we will find somebody who can,” he said.

The relentless determination of the dockers to fight for fair working rights and decent treatment also helped established the IDC, which today boasts 80,000 members worldwide.

“Who would have thought that the ad-hoc international gathering that met in Liverpool Town Hall in January 1996 would go on to become the International Dockworkers Council, which now has a membership of 80,000 and proudly works alongside the ITF and other Maritime Unions in protecting dockers the world over?” said Mr Teague.

Rebuilding our movement

After 17 years Teague, along with Tony Nelson, returned to Liverpool Docks to organise workers and bring the port back into the trade union fold. It was a difficult decision to engage with companies that had made names for themselves as strikebreakers, he said, but they “found a group of determined individuals who had already started the fightback.”

Through their hard work Unite now has recognition agreements in all parts of the port.

The Liverpool dockworkers have been central to a renewed resistance from an established agenda, that looks to strengthen the international business elites hold over the global economy, explained International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) president Paddy Crumlin. The move against the dockworkers was just the first of many similar attacks against unionised workers throughout the world – attacks that are continuing today.

“I didn’t realise it at the time, but this great struggle on the Liverpool Docks was really a struggle for working men and women and their rights. If you’re going to send a signal to the international working class then the best place to start is in Liverpool. They’re discriminating against organised labour because they know we’re central to the future economy of the world and they don’t want that,” Mr Crumlin said.

“It was in the face of this enormous struggle, in the face of this storm that was coming and is still coming today, that they helped us reclaim our institutions. That’s the spirit that’s going to rebuild our communities and rebuild our movement. That’s what the Liverpool Dockers strike is about today. That’s what it was about 20 years ago and what it’s going to be about in 20 years time. A reminder of courage and determination. A reminder that if you’re prepared to go and fight for your rights you’re an inspiration to others.”

The Liverpool Dockers hard fought struggle had a profound effect on how resistance campaigns are waged, strengthened international collaboration and solidarity and pioneered initiatives that help protect local communities. The dispute remains a pivotal moment in the progress of modern trade unionism.