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A Brief History of the use of the Armed Forces during Wharf Disputes
Amanda Biggs
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Group
23 June 1998
Recent events on the waterfront, the Government's policy of waterfront
reform and reported references to the proposed use of troops during strikes
have generated interest in the past use of military personnel in waterfront
disputes.
This Note documents the known facts surrounding waterfront disputes since
Federation where military personnel have been involved. It relies on historical
sources such as official war and union histories, verifiable newspaper
articles and government papers. However, it is partially constrained by
limited detail in some sources, lack of access to some primary sources
such as Cabinet and Defence papers, and the restrictions of wartime censorship.
Rumours and anecdotes are not canvassed.
World War 2
In March 1943 opposition to a new gang rotary system led to a 16 day
strike by members of the Waterside Workers' Federation (WWF) in Sydney.
The Curtin Government ordered troops to 'keep the ships moving'. Following
heated argument the workers agreed to the new system and returned to work
on 13 April.
Due to manpower shortages on the wharves, Australian military personnel
were occasionally used to load military cargo. These troops were called
Docks Operating Companies and handled excess cargo. They were paid according
to the industrial award.
By 1944 labour shortages on the waterfront were critical. Responding
to these shortages the Government 'released' 700 men from the Army to
undertake waterfront work. However, numbers still proved insufficient,
and the need to use military personnel on military cargo continued.
In May 1943 naval ratings crewed the Canberra following a dispute
between the Seamen's Union (SUA) and the Maritime Industry Commission.
SUA members had refused to sail one man short.
Other industrial disputes where the use of
troops was threatened
Stoppages on the waterfront in January 1942 in Sydney brought the Curtin
Government close to ordering Naval personnel to unload ships. In addition
on 19 January the Prime Minister threatened to remove the waterside workers'
exemption from military service. Union members returned to work that day.
On 8 September 1943, in response to a strike by the SUA which led to
delays in shipping coal, the Government threatened to 'take the necessary
action' to keep the ships sailing.
The SUA also went on strike in December 1943 when the escorts for coastal
shipping were removed. The Government had failed to inform the union of
the new arrangements. The Prime Minister, John Curtin gave instructions
that Naval ratings crew the ships, and served the Union with a National
Security Order, under the National Security Act. The following day the
workers voted to return to work.
Troops load ships in Melbourne, 1951
In May 1951 WWF members in Australia declared several New Zealand ships
'black' in solidarity with striking New Zealand waterside workers. Apart
from prosecutions against the union, the Government also authorised the
use of troops to load ships affected by the ban. Ships affected were the
Port Halifax which was subsequently loaded by 90 soldiers in Melbourne
and the Dea Mazella and Aspasia Nomiskos which were loaded
by RAAF personnel after naval ratings manned tugs to berth the two freighters.
Intervention on the Waterfront at Bowen 1953
On 2 September 1953 army troops secretly flew from Brisbane to Bowen
to load ships which had been delayed because of the failure of the WWF
to meet its labour quota in Bowen. This action was based on plans developed
earlier by the Menzies Government in the event of major industrial upheaval.
Called 'Operation Alien' it had originally been developed as a military
response to the perceived threats of the Cold War period.
Consequently, waterside workers in Bowen ceased work entirely, the WWF
threatened to bring out its members throughout Australia and the ACTU
condemned the Government's action. Railway workers declared the wharf
'black' and were supported by local meat and sugar workers. The crisis
was defused when the Commonwealth Government agreed to withdraw all troops
and the WWF agreed to meet its quota at Bowen.
Vietnam War
In April 1954 Navy and Air Force personnel loaded munitions onto the
Radnor bound for French troops in Indo-China because wharfies had
refused.
Disputes over loading military cargo onto the merchant ships Boonaroo
and Jeparit during Australia's involvement in the Vietnam conflict
led Federal Cabinet to decide that if further shipments were impeded by
union action the vessels would be commissioned with Navy crews. Despite
ACTU pressure the Seamen's Union refused to crew the Boonaroo. As
a consequence it was commissioned into the Navy in March 1967.
In November 1969, responding to the growing public outcry against the
war, and in particular the My Lai massacre, the Sydney branch of the Waterside
Workers' Federation refused to unload the Jeparit. The Government
responded by commissioning the Jeparit into the Navy in December
1969 and loading and unloading was then undertaken by troops.
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This Note complements two recent IRS Publications: Troops as
strikebreakers: use of the Defence Force in Industrial Action situations,
which mainly discussed 'Plan Cabriole', a Defence Force plan to
respond to the possible disruption of essential services; and, Call
out the Troops an examination of the legal basis for Defence
Force involvement in 'non-defence' matters, including industrial
disputes.
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