ITF ship making history
by Vic Williams The WA Trades and Labor Council and the MUA Fremantle Branch organised the welcome to Fremantle of the MV Global Mariner, the International Transport Workers' ship of international struggle, on its world tour. This welcome was endorsed enthusiastically by over 12,500 visitors to the ship, a record for any English-speaking port. At least 12 ALP politicians were among the visitors, including Senator Evans and Shadow Minister for Transport Alanah McTiernan. Representatives of Fremantle City Council and the manager of Dockers Football Team and four Dockers players came aboard. Fifty local union supporters volunteered as helpers to explain the workings of the ship and the ITF campaign. Many local schools took the unique opportunity of seeing the work down-hold in a big cargo ship. The Global Mariner is a working general cargo ship of over 12,000 tonnes, fitted out with an exhibition of the history of modern shipping, exposing the terrible conditions of flag of convenience rust buckets. The Kirki, the oil tanker that broke in half in WA nor-west waters, is but one example. The Global Mariner unites the world maritime workers in the ITF campaigns fighting against the ruthless exploitation of seamen and port workers by the international shipowners with "ships of shame" under flags of convenience that ignore safety standards. The contradiction between the peaceful aims of the ITF and the global domination aims of US imperialism was highlighted in Fremantle with the Global Mariner in next berth to the American warship USS Chancellorsville. The accidental meeting in Fremantle was not the first time the Global Mariner had crossed paths with US warships. In New Orleans the Global Mariner campaigned on behalf of workers at an anti-union shipyard, Avondale. Their main customer is the US Navy, which is backing Avondale's defiance of court decisions in favour of the workers' rights of union representation. The Global Mariner carried a huge banner, "US Navy, stop the war against American workers at Avondale", and beamed slogans onto the side of the new US Navy ship Bob Hope. The world tour of the Global Mariner has backed union campaigns and struggles for basic rights in port after port. In Valparaiso, Chile, the Global Mariner carried banners and slogans of dock workers protesting against the privatising of ports, where their conditions and rights would be destroyed by being laid off and taken back only as casuals. They were backed by 70 Chilean unions. Three military police came aboard and removed the banners. The Master of the Global Mariner insisted the banners be returned and defied the threat of the military and coastguard that the ship must leave the port and Chilean territorial waters if the banners were not removed. The authorities locked out a large crowd wanting to visit the ship. Threat of a port strike opened the gates for 3,500 visitors in under five hours. The support for the Global Mariner and the campaigns of the unions was highlighted later by over 27,000 members of the public coming on board. In port after port the Global Mariner, the ITF inspectors and local port unions have combined to win wage claims and better conditions for many seamen on sub-standard flag of convenience ships. The next ports of call are Jakarta and Singapore. To further the friendly contact of Australian unions in those countries Dean Summers of the MUA, Jock Ferguson of the AMWU and Ross Storer local ITF inspector will sail on the Global Mariner as it continues its historic voyage.