THE LATEST international day of solidarity with the Merseyside Dockworkers - January 2istmagnificent sponse from dockers around the world Dockworkers in 27 countries took solidarity action in 105 ports and cities. Highlights included a demonstration in Tokyo and action in all 50 Japanese ports, and total strikes of the West Coast ports of the USA - which got a 15 minute slot on CNN news.
Mexico
Port workers marched to the British Consul in Mexico and un. ions representing 70,000 port workof all Liverpool ships. Strikes hovcotts world, and the dockers received 200 taxed mossaces ol SUPpOL In Montreal the action spread be. yond tac port workers to scararers and transport workers and all Montreal ports were occupied for No help: TGWU leader Bill Morris 24 hours. In Los Angeles all ships stopped for 74 hours with no-one crossingathe picket line. In some countries support has extended beyond strike action. In Montreal all ort workers are now contributing $S each a week to Liverpool and support groups have been set up in Northern France.
In Liverpool itself the port cranes and gantry were occupied for 8 hours by Reclaim the Streets activists in support of the dockers. They intend to occupy the port for a solid week soon.
All support was reported to a mass meeting of 450 dockers and their supporters and has given the dockers a real boost as they enter The further extension of interna. pressure the Liverpool dockers and their supporters around the world have put on the International Transportworkers Federation, which is now calling for a worldwide boycott of Liverpool shipping.
This is in stark contrast to the lack of support the dockers have received from their own union, the TGWU, at home. The TGWU has previously attempted to block the ITF supporting the dockers, but up on that.
However, the TGWU is still pressurising the dockers to accept the Mersey Docks and Harbour Boards offer to buy out their jobs, despite the fact that the dockers have overwhelmingly rejected such offers several times.
The TGWU now wants a postal ballot, not only in complete opposition to the views of the dockers leaders, but also to the unanimous voic or dockers mass mccongs "Enemies"
The TGWU has done next to noting to publicise toe dockers struggle, and Bill Morris has gone so far as to describe those who have, notably Ken Loach and John Pilger, as 'enemies of the union'.
While vigorously pursuing their own struggle, the dockers have long gone beyond this. They have taken up the issue of state oppression against trades unionists in Turkey, thrown their support behind the Euroncan march tor lobs and wefare, and are making extensive links with other struggles in Britain.
They take Magnet strikers along to all meetings they attend and are building links with Ford Halewood workers, Now they are offering to fund the Hillingdon hospital strikers now that UNISON has shamefully withdrawn official support.
Future actions planned by the dockers include another internatonal dockers comerence, to oc held in Montreal in the next few They will hold a rally together with Fords, Glacier, Hillingdon and Magnet workers in Liverpool on February 8th and a rally in London on April 12th as well as a series of fund-raising benefits around the Support groups here have also begun a campaign to boscott companies which use scab labour, starting with Argos. which ships to its Irish shops through Liverpool. This got off to a good start with pickets of Argos shops in Liverpoor manchester and south port on Saturday 25th January.