A-Infos Aotearoa - New Zealand, <caravan99> Arrests at Bluff picket

["small axe" <tu_mai_te_toki@hotmail.com>]

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[Bluff - Southland - South Island - Aotearoa - New Zealand]

For video footage see:
> http://www.tv3.co.nz/news/news_info.cfm?news_id=5176&news_category_id=1

SOUTHLAND

TUESDAY, 05 JUNE 2001

    S O U T H L A N D   S T O R Y

Citizens protest at Bluff
05 June 2001

By RYAN KEEN,
and MICHELLE SUTTON
Members of the public clashed with police as
they took up the battle of the Bluff waterfront
yesterday.

The Waterfront Workers Union, unable to protest
because of a High Court injunction, found a group
of about 50 protesters taking action on their behalf
in the long-running South Island port dispute.

Union members were at the Bluff port entrance
gates at 6am yesterday but were said to have hung
back from the main protest which resulted in police
arresting five men.

The protesters were showing support for Southland
watersiders, who have lost work since Carter Holt Harvey decided to exclusively
use Tauranga-based Mainland Stevedoring to load its logs seven months ago.

The protesters tried to stop vehicles carrying Mainland workers from entering the
port – where the Sea Sapphire was waiting to be loaded – by lying in front of
them.

Police dragged away those who jumped in front of the vehicles.

Police said they had talked to Southland Beneficiaries advocate Neville Corkery,
of Invercargill, a former convener of the Southland branch of the Council of Trade
Unions, who seemed to be the unofficial spokesman yesterday for the protest
group.

A leaflet circulated at the weekend promoting their fight said it supported local
jobs for local people and direct peaceful, militant action but was against
"corporate community bashing." Mr Corkery said Bluff-based Southland
Stevedoring's 26 fulltime wharfies as well as its casual workers – formerly hired by
Carter Holt – relied on getting that work.

"There's nothing stopping the public throughout the country from supporting the
waterfront workers union and their struggle," Mr Corkery said.

The Waterfront Workers Union has denied organising the protests, following a
High Court ruling last month which bans its members from disrupting the loading
of Carter Holt log ships.

Waterfront Workers Union Bluff branch secretary Ray Fife said yesterday that
members were at the morning protest but "did hang back" to comply with the
injunction. "I was quite astounded by the amount of public support," Mr Fife said.

The five men who were arrested – four from Dunedin and one from Invercargill –
appeared in the Invercargill District Court yesterday charged with disorderly
behaviour. They were released on bail to appear in court this morning.

A report in April found no legal substance to complaints by the union. However,
the report said the fact Stevedoring Services were not allowed to compete with
Mainland for the Carter Holt contract was "a legitimate important complaint."

Last night Mainland spokesman Jim McDougall said the company would continue
loading the ship this morning, and Mr Corkery said he understood there would be
more action from protesters this morning.







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