'LIVERPOOL DOCKERS GLEN VORIS from Socialist Outlook spoke to JIMMY NOLAN (Chair of Merseyside Port Shop Stewards Committee), shop stewards BILLY JENKINS, HERBIE HOLYHEAD and to TERRY TIGHE shop steward and international coordinator in the run up to the massive demonstration planned to mark the beginning of the third year of the Liverpool Dockers strike. SO: You are now coming up to the second anniversary of the dispute. How are the dockers responding? JN: We have the same resilience as we did two years ago - even though it has been very difficult.
All 500 dockers have stayed with the dispute except two that died, one of them died on the picket line of a heart attack.
This shows the tremendous determination that we have to win our full reinstatement. We only received £50 per week on average through donations to the strike fund and this has put an enormous strain on us and our families.
BI: The men and women have developed politically especially about international politics.
We get the strength to continue because of the international solidarity - we must repay the commitment of workers who have supported us by continuing the dispute until we win.
SO: What level of support have you received from your union, the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) during the dispute?
N: To put it bluntty, zero However, at the TGWU Bi ennial Conference in July, 9 motions were put forward to support us.
The Executive issued their own statement on the need "to preserve the fabric of the union and operate within the constraints of the law"
and put this to the vote without debating the 9 motions.
There was a clear show of hands voting it down. Many delegates refused to sit down and demanded a BY card vote. The chair lost control of the conference for several minutes and then decided to call for a card vote the next morning.
The next day the Executive lost the vote by 283 to 182. The 9 motions were then debated and were all passed. The TGWU leadership are now committed to support our dispute. It was a tremendous victory. We are now waiting for the Executive to meet with us and to discuss the swift conclusion of the dispute. BJ: The TGWU leadership have been a disgrace to trade unionism. They haven't even set up a strike fund for us in the union -we've had to set up our own.
What we need is concrete support. The TGWU should be using its sponsored Labour MPs to raise the issue of our dispute in parliament to resolve it. They haven't even helped us to build the international support, we've had to do it all ourselves.
SO: Has the election of the Labour government in May helped in any way?
IN: No. In fact they have probably hindered us with false promises.
The North West Regional Labour Party said they would organise a meeting of all the local Labour MPs to meet us - sore time in the New Year - so they're not really serious. There were rumours that John Prescort was going to meet us over a monch ago, but we have heard nothing.
SO: What type of demands should the movement put on the Labour government to support your dispute and to protect trade unions?
HH: It's very difficult, as Blair made it quite clear at the TUC Conference last week that "we need a flexible workforce". TAND However, the Liverpool Dockers are calling upon this OUR MEN government to use its major shareholding (14 per cent) in the Mersey Docks to reinstate the dockers. We are also demanding a call for a public enquiry into the millions of pounds worth of government and European money that has been ploughed into the Mersey Docks over the last 30 years, where we've seen 3 decades of public finance and private abuse.
The most important issue for trade unions in Britain is to demand the repeal of all the anti-union laws that shackle the unions. We have the most repressive and restrictive anti-union laws in the western world - this is why we've had great difficulty in gaining solidarity action in this country. SO: The Liverpool Dockers brought about the formation of the first international dockers shop stewards movement. How has this progressed and why is internationalism so important? HH: The finance given to us by touring various countries has been a big boost - without that, it would have been very difficult to continue the dispute for so long.
We've found that in all the ports we have visited we've found similar problems of casualisation and privatisation. Our dispute has brought dockers together internationally. We can now discuss the problems we face and how we can fight together against the multinational companies. The problems are global and as there are 6 major port companies they need to be confronted internationally as no one country can win alone.
SO: On September 8 the 3rd International Dockers Day of Action took place in support of the Liverpool Dockers. What level of support have you gained and is it having an effect on the Mersey Dock and Harbour Company?
TT: The International Day of Action exceeded all expectations and proved that Liverpool has become a symbol of all dockers who are determined to resist the threats of casual labour, mass sackings, and the deregulation of our industry.
The port of Liverpool is stagnating as there are now 24 per cent less ships