Defending Craig Johnston will defend unionism

November 17, 1993
Issue 

Sue Bolton, Melbourne

More unionists are adding their names to the campaign to defend Craig Johnston, the former secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union's Victorian branch. Johnston is facing serious charges resulting from the Johnson Tiles industrial dispute in 2001 over the outsourcing of jobs.

Johnston is the only one of 18 unionists who had charges laid against them for their involvement in the dispute to still be facing trial. While serious charges against the others were dismissed last July, Johnston will face trial on May 10.

Many unionists believe that the charges are politically motivated — with the employers, the state Labor government and the AMWU national office ganging up on Johnston and other militants in the Victorian AMWU branch.

Several of the unionists interviewed for this article stated that an ACTU executive resolution titled "Criminal and violent conduct policy" — which has been circulated around trades and labour councils since December — is timed to prejudice Johnston's trial.

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union national executive, the CFMEU Victorian state conference, the Maritime Union of Australia's Western Australian and Victorian state conferences, and the Geelong Trades and Labor Council have recently passed resolutions supporting Johnston.

Some of the unionists supporting the Defend Craig Johnston Campaign include:

  • Peter Marshall, the United Firefighters Union (UFU) national secretary and Victorian secretary: "The bottom line is that Craig Johnston has been a very staunch union member and activist in the union for many years. There's been many a campaign that's been won and not lost because of Craig's support and input. And indeed many a time when the underdog's been very much against the odds, Craig's always been there when assistance has been required.

"This issue has wider implications than just Craig. Clearly, you have to look at the environment that workers have to operate in to achieve pay increases. The whole [industrial relations] legislation is designed to create an environment of confrontation, so who's to blame. As far as the UFU is concerned, we support Craig, especially as Craig has always supported our disputes."

  • Peter Tighe, the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union's national secretary: "If Craig's been singled out for special treatment, that's immoral. Even if Craig's breached the law in relation to the whole process, at the end of the day we expect people to be treated with some equity. So if Craig's being focused on for whatever reason, political or otherwise, or seen as the person they want to pursue because he has a higher profile, well, in my view that's morally wrong."

  • Kevin Bracken, the Maritime Union of Australia's Victorian branch secretary: "There were 18 people charged first off and now it's been narrowed down to one. [By singling Craig out] they're attempting to break us up, to break up the unity of the people. That's why we have unions, so we can get together and support each other, and what they're trying to do is to single him [Johnston] out so he's just one man on his own. We can't let that happen."

  • Chris Cain, the MUA's Western Australian branch secretary: "On an issue like this when unionists are trying to protect workers' jobs, if you don't support the unionists who are fighting to protect those jobs, like Craig, you might as well say you're supporting Skilled Engineering. A person is innocent until proven guilty, and as far as we're concerned, the WA MUA is supporting the trade unionist."

  • Ian Bray, the MUA's WA branch deputy secretary: "Unlike [AMWU national secretary] Doug Cameron, I'm proud to be associated with Craig Johnston as a trade unionist. In fact, so proud that I'm flying over from Western Australia under the Maritime Union of Australia WA branch banner to be there on the first day of the court case. That's how strongly I feel about it."

  • Dean Mighell, the Electrical Trades Union's Victorian branch secretary: "Craig Johnston absolutely deserves the presumption of innocence, and that has been lost in the debate. The Craig Johnston I know has been a good unionist. He deserves support. If he has made mistakes, he'll wear that but he does not deserve to be the scapegoat for internal divisions in his union.

"The ACTU resolution is about taking sides in an internal dispute in the AMWU. Craig Johnston has been an outstanding unionist because he has been committed to supporting workers, regardless of which union card might be in their wallet. He has proven that many times."

  • Martin Kingham, the CFMEU's Victorian branch secretary: "Craig has always been there for the CFMEU in our disputes. When mass support is required, mass support is delivered. In the ACI Spotswood dispute [in the mid-1990s], we'd march thousands of metal workers and construction workers from other sites to assist the ACI workers and the dispute was won. Craig is the physical embodiment of the left tradition in Victoria of always trying to make things better in a collective way. Eighteen people were charged. He should be treated the same as the other 17."

  • Kevin Reynolds, the CFMEU's WA branch secretary: "It's important for the trade union movement to defend all militant trade unionists. Craig Johnston has shown himself as a very capable union leader over a long period of time and been involved in many disputes. This is one dispute where they've sought to single him out and the police and the ruling class are making it very clear that they are going to target Johnston and try to dispatch him once and for all. In these types of disputes where people are fighting for their livelihoods and their rights to retain their jobs with some dignity, tough action takes place.

"The ACTU motion is designed by Craig's own union to try to force unions to abandon any support for Craig Johnston and abandon support for other militant trade unionists."

  • Tim Gooden, the Geelong Trades and Labor Council's assistant secretary: "[Premier Steve] Bracks has joined forces with Cameron to get rid of Craig Johnston and the leadership in the Victorian branch of the AMWU. This is not a personality thing. This is about the Labor Party trying to get back control of militant unions so they can demonstrate to the ruling class that they'll make a 'good' government after this year's federal election.

"It's quite clear that if the campaign against Craig is successful, then it will target other militant unionists. It's no coincidence that Craig Johnston is being targeted, because, when he was leader of the AMWU, the AMWU won a heap of improved conditions.

"The ACTU's criminal conduct policy is designed to attack all unionists and not just Craig. Any union which wants to stand up in the future and defend its members must defend Craig Johnston.

" All unionists ultimately break bosses' laws every time there's an industrial campaign on. Examples of that are: Not moving off a picket line at the direction of the police or refusing industrial relations commission directions to stay at work even when there's a safety problem."

  • Denis Evans, the Furnishing Trades Union media contact and Community Radio 3CR's Strikeback program presenter: "I support Craig Johnston simply because he supports his members. He always has and always will be in touch with the rank and file and that's always held him in good stead. And more importantly, he's been there with the troops when they're involved in the battle, not sitting behind a desk but actually on the picket line and in the fray with the rest of his members.

"I think it's a sad indictment on the trade union movement and the ACTU that at this time they would try to move motions that would leave Craig out to dry. Craig's always been there for us and we'll always be there for him."

  • Judy McVey, the Community and Public Sector Union's FACS section president and workplace delegate (speaking in a personal capacity): "Craig Johnston was trying to stop the loss of jobs. The real violence here is that of greedy bosses wanting to make a profit out of working-class families' livelihoods. The Liberals always try to make militant unionists out as criminals.

"In the federal public sector we lost 100,000 jobs and 40,000 union members because of Howard's cuts since 1996. We didn't have trade union officials like Craig and we paid a heavy price. All unionists have an interest in defending Craig because that will defend unionism in general."

From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, March 31, 2004.
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