Follow on Twitter
Subscribe by RSS
The Gordonstone mine dispute is a case study in why Tony Abbott must not be allowed to become prime minister, says former Victorian MP Denise Allen.
“They may have buried the statue, but they can’t bury the truth, and they won’t bury the Union.”
~Tony Maher CFMEU National Secretary, Gordonstone Mining Dispute, 1998.
COMING INTO election year 2013, it will be interesting to see how Tony Abbott and his associates approach the issue of industrial relations campaign. Will he try to try to keep a low profile, fearing a concerted campaign from the Government and Unions over a return of the dreaded WorkChoices; or will he go on the attack, dredging up the mother of all scare campaigns based on the Craig Thomson HSU stitch-up and the baseless ancient smears of the Prime Minister over her time as a lawyer for the AWU. Whichever way Abbott chooses to go, many in the Coalition are pushing for him to “go on the front foot” regarding industrial relations and to put the boot into the despised union movement. This attitude by a major political entity is sad and unfortunate, given unionism has played a deep and vital part in the history of this nation and in the fair treatment of some of its most vulnerable people.
The remains of the Tree of Knowledge, Barcaldine, the monument created after the original tree was cruelly poisoned.
Just over 1,000 kilometres northwest of Brisbane, and nearly 600kms inland from Rockhampton, in Barcaldine, Central Queensland, there once stood a magnificent 200 year-old gum tree known as The Tree of Knowledge. Its historic significance relates back to the 1891 Australian Shearers Strike that was to be the forebear of the Australian Labor Party.
It is said that in 1891 a group of protesting sheep shearers founded the Australian Labor Party under the tree. Meeting records of shearers striking for better conditions show they were held at the main strike camp at the edge of the town on Lagoon Creek.
The manifesto of the Queensland Labour Party
Non-union workers would arrive in the town by rail where they were met by the striking shearers. These impromptu meetings arose at a Cabbage Gum tree near the station where the strikers attempted to rally union members to their cause and block non-unionists. In 1892, at the foot of the tree, the Manifesto of the Queensland Labour Party, a foundation document of the Australian Labor Party, was read out.
Fast forward 106 years and move 300 kilometres due east from Barcaldine to the mining town of Emerald, and once again the union movement ‒ this time a mining branch of the CFMEU ‒ has been forced to show its strength against the might and power of a multinational American owned mining company, Arco, and the 1996 industrial relation laws introduced by the Howard Government, which included Australian Workplace Agreements.
Gordonstone mine, 50km from Emerald, was opened in 1991 with the claim that it was the “most technologically advanced mine in the world”. The company was owned and operated by the USA owned ARCO, who was the senior partner with an 80% share in the mine. The other 20% being made up of Mitsui, a Japanese coal trader and an Australian company, MLC.
By 1996, the unionised workforce represented by the CFMEU (Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union: Mining and Energy Division) had record-breaking world production records for underground coal mining. The owners of the mine were so impressed by their employees, they erected a two metre statue in the workers’ honour declaring the workforce “the best miners in the world”.
On the 1 October 1997, Arco sacked all 302 Gordonstone miners in contravention of clause 24 of an enterprise agreement entered into between the union and Arco management on 23 April 1996 and which came into force on 13 August 1996. The U.S. based company’s intention was to “re-employ” 190 non-union workers under AWA’s provided for by the Howard Governments new industrial relations policy.
This action by Arco was entirely illegal and set in train one of the most protracted miners’ strikes – some 20 months and involving a 24/7 continuously manned picket line – which resulted in the miners winning the biggest unfair mass dismissal outcome ($4.65m) in Australian industrial relations history.
The dispute was led by John Allen, miner and President of the Gordonstone Lodge (branch of the CFMEU); supported by the Queensland and National CFMEU; local Labor MP Jim Pearce, Member for Fitzroy; and unions from around Australia.
In 1997, Allen had gone at an International Union Conference in the U.S.A. and had been assured by Arco management, prior to his trip, that the company had no intentions of closing the mine.
He came home to every miner being sacked.
Not only that, Arco had pulled down the statue it and buried it somewhere on the mines site.
The Gordonstone dispute was the precursor to the more widely known and reported April 1998 Australian Waterfront dispute but the same ruthless, arrogant tactics where employed by both Arco and Patricks – with the support of the Howard Government and, in particular, the then Minister for Industrial Relations Peter Reith.
Whereas Patrick brought in the dogs and recruited industrial mercenaries – trained secretly in Dubai – to the waterfront, Arco employed “private security guards”, some armed with concealed guns and who callously intimidated miners and their families by following their every move, photographing wives and children and setting up sensors in the front yards of miners’ family homes.
If you think this cannot happen here in Australia for a second time, well, think again.
Peter Reith, that brutal and heartless hard right conservative politician who, from his powerful throne as the minister for industrial relations from 1996 to 2001 instigated the 1997-99 war on unions, has recently publicly called for the Coalition to revisit its industrial relations platform. And so has Josh Frydenberg, the current Liberal MP for Kooyong, who in an opinion piece in The Australian on 9 January this year, called on the Coalition to “go on the front foot” in regards to industrial relations — presumably in an attempt to re-ignite the LNP’s ongoing resolve to destroy the union movement, thinking they are a shoe in at the 2013 election.
For over 120 years, unions in Australia have fought hard for and won the right for workers to be paid a fair rate of pay, and for everyone to work in a safe and secure working environment and have world class working conditions.
But since the Howard Government set in motion antagonistic industrial relations policies in 1996, culminating in the atrocious WorkChoices in 2005, there has been a steep decline in union membership.
There are many people in Australia who no longer pay their union fees and openly rebuff unions, but I have yet to see a non-union member reject a pay increase or an advance in occupational health and safety (OSHS) that the union movement have been successful in securing.
Yes there are corrupt and ruthless unionists – just as there are corrupt and ruthless bosses and multinational companies who will exploit workers at every turn given the opportunity – but both are in the minority. For the most part, employees and bosses work together co-operatively to maintain industrial peace and friendly working relations for the betterment and future prosperity of the nation.
But every time we have the Coalition in power at either a State or Federal level, it seems assured that they will try and crush the unions and their members. Unions are the backbone of the working class. Without them, business and conservative governments will almost certainly run rough shod over workers — reducing pay, entitlements and working conditions.
The Gordonstone Mining Dispute and Australian Maritime Dispute were two of the ugliest industrial clashes in recent Australian political history and both occurred as a result of draconian Coalition industrial relation laws.
And it can happen again if Abbott and his men ever get hold of the seat power — especially if they are given control in both houses.
Workers of this country must unite to prevent an Abbott-led Coalition Government and thus prevent irresponsible employers the power to screw over workers in this country.
(John Allen was Denise Allen’s former husband and father to their three children, as well as partner to Anne and father of their 2 children. John passed away from cancer on 21 December 2003, aged 53 and is a legend amongst the CFMEU mining unionists around Australia and particularly in Queensland.)
24 Comments
Great read Denise and Vale’ your man….Gone but not forgotten.
2,000,000 workers in Unions and their families are Australians too Phoney you corrupt thug/prick….not that that matters to you and YOUR m,asters…..the Oligarchic Fascists in Von Murdochprick, Gina (she should be happy – if she ever went broke she could get work at Tullanarine sniffing luggage), Twiggy and so on…that 1% who own at least 80% of everrything and even now are not satisfied.
Blood is boiling after reading this and the ABC have that criminal writing his weekly rubbish on their Drum. Effing joke.
Spot on article Denise!
Of course Abbott is already attempting to demonise Unions, in government he will have a go at completely destroying them.
Unfortunately plenty of workers & Unionists in the electorate will vote for Abbott against their best interests having swallowed the pro-Abbott propaganda of the MSM.
With LNP governments in every state except the ACT, probably a huge LNP parliamentary majority & the support of the corrupt media Abbott will make Reith & Howard look mild in comparison to the damage he will inflict on workers rights & Unions.
As a proud member of the CFMEU Mining and Energy division I can say that I remember the Gordonstone picket, I have in my belt buckle collection a ” Lillyvale Stand belt buckle” that I acquired at the picket line not that I was working at Gordonstone at the time but as a member of a great union like the CFMEU Mining and Energy Division who was there to support my fellow members I can say that if Abbott is elected prime minister the Gordonstone and Patricks lock outs will become common place in Australia, we all Australians with any moral conscience need to do whatever we can to prevent this fiasco. We need to do it for our children.
Thankyou for the reminder Denise. Those that have fought (and won) for worker’s rights are becoming a rare breed and need to be celebrated and remembered. And people need to wake up to the fact that the first few rounds might be over, but the fight is far from won. Now the corporate beast – oops – person, has become a very slippery creature indeed.
I secured employment with a large retailer in their new state of the art distribution centre in 1999. The first 4 weeks of (paid) training had a real anti-union flavour. The trainer took every opportunity to deride unions and their members and called them ‘outdated’, ‘dinosaurs’, ‘irrelevant’, etc. Being quite convicted otherwise (and a bit of an eloquent big mouth) I was forced to defend the reasons for having unions and related some of their proud history to my fellow trainees. We were advised the union rep would be doing a site visit on such and such a date. He arrived & spoke. I was appalled. Total bonehead. I joined anyway (boy that was lonely!) and put in a complaint against him with the union. He was being a damaging and confrontational person (just as we had heard about in training) and no use to the union cause. I eventually became shop steward and recruited more than 50% of the workforce there before I left. Management had more to do with people becoming members than I had to do with with actively recruiting anyone!! They eventually showed themselves to be a sub-species of the bully boy bosses that were supposedly extinct – along with unions. When problems arose, people knew my stance and discussed their issues with me. I told them their options and they asked for membership forms. Sad that so many needed a first hand education.
It is lay-low lieberal succubi like Kathy Jackson that whiteant unions and give them a bad name. Mr Abbott is correct, there will be no work choices…. They will be dead, buried, cremated if Gina and her lot get their way.
great article.
Unfortunately, it will be the workers who install Abbott into the Lodge.
Great concern when Aussie workers appear to have blind faith in MSM
“There are many people in Australia who no longer pay their union fees and openly rebuff unions, but I have yet to see a non-union member reject a pay increase or an advance in occupational health and safety (OSHS) that the union movement have been successful in securing.”
As a Unionist all my working life I have experienced the response of non-union members, they were ALWAYS the first to grab the Union Newsletters and Journals to check the latest wage increase paid for by their fellow workers, they are and were the epitome of LNP members, totally devoid of principle and justice.
NB> Not all conservatives are arseholes; but, ALL arseholes are conservatives by natural progression??
Good article.
I keep on wondering if the unions are destroyed, what then? Will we eventually become a corporate feudalism, where the have and have nots are clearly delineated, and those like Gina and her ilk rule us paying only $2 a day?
So many people forget, and those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Rough times ahead.
PS I comment under the same name on the Drum, and it is a right wing opinion piece now, as shown on this excellent news site. But I will keep going, as I used to repect the ABC, and am not ready to give up on it yet. I urge others to do the same to experess our distate at the right wing dogma and coverage they are giving.
Denise, thank you for a great reminder of what the Tories REALLY stand for, and why every working man and woman in Australia must reject them.
Paul Howes and the AWU though are happy to destroy the country to keep mining companies happy.
Another great article Denise. Thank you for reminding us of this disgraceful part of our industrial relations history. The amount of air time and column space given to that industrial thug Reith makes me sick to my stomach. Solidarity forever.
This article spells out exactly what they are up to;
http://sideshow.me.uk/annex/defeattherightin3minutes.htm
On the 7-30pm report tonight I didn’t like the way Chris Uhlmann spoke about the Labor and Julia Gillard , he was reporting on more negatives about the unions also the ABC should be stopped from making comments that are hurting this government, they use words like ” Toxic Government”, and “unpopular government”. When Leigh Sales was talking to the Green leader Millne, Doesn’t she realise how bad it sounds when she constantly runs this government down on Television. Some people have small brains.
Im writing to the ABC tonight about their part in supporting Abbott and they have to stop doing it.
I think the Union should now attack Tony Abbott straight away before they go on the front foot again. they seem to know what this government is doing before Labor itself does.
[...] The Gordonstone mine dispute is a case study in why Tony Abbott must not be allowed to become prime minister, says former Victorian MP Denise Allen. [...]
Great article Denise and timely reminder that if left unchecked capital will destroy our hard won freedoms. Workers who distain unionism need to hear about how they got to have the second car, McMansion and flat screen TV’s, boats and education for their kids.
There is a long history in this country of educated and principled men and women engaged in their communities, proud to be honest workers and who teach their children to respect actions instead of possessions.
This should be the source of our aspiration, this is the strength of our nation, or was. The failure to embrace this positive humility is the core failure of the Labor Party, who no longer deserve the name.
It is also why I am not too fussed that the Coalition will likely win the next election. I suspect things will need to get much tougher before the workers rise again to throw off the soft shackles of easy credit, McDonalds and The Australian.
It is better to die on our feet than to live on our fat arse!
Fat arses indeed. The new ‘aspiration’, according to the Liberal party, is to become a member of an elite club that denies facts (and relies on hope), cuts worker’s wages and entitlements (some reward!), and gives opportunity (to opportunists only). What a skanky bunch of aspirant, self-serving arseholes.
And unfortunately, many will eventually find out how the fattest opportunists (and their friends that aspire to be fat) actually view them through their ivory tower windows. I can just see Mirabella now declaring “let them eat cake”, in response to the cries of the people (peasants) having no bread. I suppose if wages crumble, you can always eat the crumbs.
Anyone daring to whine to me about this issue in the future may get the fright of their life – especially the fat arsed, two car owning, plasma watching, Bali holidaying, coddled, non-union, Liberal voting aspirants.
If that right-wing, rabid, rorting, recidivist rabble get in, I will sleep soundly knowing I had no part in their election.
The spiteful piece of shit who poisoned the tree of knowledge deserves to be tied to its replica and flogged.
The prospect of an Abbott government is very frightening but articles like this are a shining beacon of hope in a world of lies.
I’m currently starting a grassroots effort to oppose the mainstream media’s sinister anti-Labor, anti-Thomson narrative on a major social media outlet. Anyone who wants to assist should register on reddit.com and contact me via the following link:
http://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=dredd
It’s a tree and the ALP have lost all credibility on IR.
Gillard didn’t care too much about Crossin’s job now did she?
Marilyn, I’m sorry for you that you have to be so nasty. This was an important issue for me to write about as it gave well over due public kudos to my former husband and my childrens father for the extraordinary work he did in achieving the biggest unfair mass dismissal payout in Australian Industrial history for his fellow mine workers and to remind people that the action that the Howard Govt took along with the American based co who owned the mine could and probably will happen again under an Abbott Govt. I find your cruel spiteful comments offensive and hurtful. If you dont like what I write about dont comment.
My children are very proud of their father and rightly so and they do not need his memory sullied by your nasty comments.
Denise
What on earth does my comment have to do with your husband? I don’t have a clue who your husband is.
And the ALP just sold the country to miners, I have no sympathy for the mining moguls but have a good deal of interest in preservation and conservation.
I have no idea how on earth you can translate Gillards dismal cave in to the mining moguls to your husband when he was on the side of good and Gillard has fallen down on the other side.
REally and truly Denise, my response had zero to do with your husband and everything to do with Gillard’s complete lack of morals and regard for anyone but the mining moguls.
Gillard is now slagging off on the Greens as a protest party but the ALP I used to know grew up as a protest party of unions and workers against mining and other moguls.
So now the mining moguls rule the country and the ALP kiss their feet and ask how high they should jump.
Your husband did the right thing, he and you and your children should be proud of him but how can you be proud of Gillard for selling out his legacy?
Please read the addendum at the end of the article. As for your comments I respectfully disagree.
Marilyn, Marilyn, when are you ever going to learn to keep your bile to the yourself. Sometimes, but only sometimes you have something really pertinent to say.
Denise, as a union delegate for the ASU in Queensland, I also started basically from scratch in a Pte. hospital owned by Big Business, who were only interested in ‘golden handshaking’ their workers, but then proceeded to re-employ some of them back. Talk about waste! The union was non existent when I started work there, but 7 years down the track we also had approximately 95% membership, not only in the hospital I worked at but at the other 2 hospitals owned by the same company.
It was damned hard work, lots of before & after hours talking to each of the staff individually by asking them what they thought were facts and fiction. We were able to negotiate for better conditions and wages but even this took time, but without the weight of the union membership it wouldn’t have happened.
The upshot of it all was, that both employer and employee had a better respect for each other and work output was increased because the workers felt included, not just used and abused.
Its a pity more people can’t see that the good Unions are there to protect the workers. There will always be good and bad people, in ownership/management and unions (HSU as an example of the latter, but to have the LNP/TA or the likes of Peter Reith wanting to ‘crush’ unions just can’t be allowed to happen all because of a few ‘rotten eggs’.
The unions just need to stand together, just as the people who want to see justice and democracy prevail in this country need to do. This won’t happen if the TA & the LNP get back into power.
I am a very old Labor Party Member and quite frankly this so called Alp is like a beached Whale. No Working People any more at the top of both Parliament, State and Federal and what about most Unions? They are mostly secondrate Lawyers.When I was a Unionrep this rot set in, coming from Uni into Headoffice and having no understanting what real life was all about. My Parents where Workingclass is the most given answer from those destoyers of the once proud Unions and Labor Pollies. Who wants to be a Unionmember? Sadly, most Workers are fools and believe the Libs will look after them. They will have to learn the hard way about Life. The same goes for the ALP. It will need to be rebuild from the bottom up, once this bad lot has bitten the Dust.
It is a known fact that industrial relations are one of the important parts to make the work more productive and fruitful. Even in big organizations, a separate relations department is being set to make the work process smooth and solve the disputes at primary levels only. The information shared in the blog regarding the coming new policies in the industrial relations is also vital. To make some more insight into the topic of industrial relation and to make these warm, visit us.