Union Busting at Diamond Offshore

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The ITF has sent the following protest letter to Diamond Offshore General Company, in regard to the union busting activites and sacking of workers in Australia.

Mr Ronald L. James
Area Manager – Australia
Diamond Offshore General Company
Unit 2, 5 Turner Avenue
Bentley WA 6102
Australia

By fax: 00 61 8 6363 8990

13 April 2006

Dear Mr. James,

The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) represents employees in the maritime and offshore industries around the world. Our alliance with the International Chemical Energy and Mineworkers Federation (ICEM) covers workers through out the global oil and gas industries.

We have recently been informed by our affiliate in Australia, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), who represent a section of workers employed on your drilling rig “Ocean Bounty” in Australia, that you have been engaged in blatant union busting actions against them. The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) has reported that a number of marine crew (members of the MUA), who have been a productive part of the operation for 9 years, have been dismissed. It appears that your company is taking advantage of the new anti-Union laws enacted in Australia on 27 March 2006 to replace skilled and experienced crew members by lower cost, less skilled staff with no collective bargaining rights.

We view these actions by your company as an extremely grave development and we shall be organising our response to them with our alliance partner the International Chemical Energy and Mineworkers Federation. If necessary we are prepared to undertake an international campaign in opposition to your company’s decision to remove the Australian marine crew.

The MUA is well known around the world for its support for international trade unionism but also for its preparedness to discuss with companies in a rational way workplace changes that, if logical, may be required in the best interest of the company and employment of the workers they represent.

We believe it is in everyone’s interest for this decision to be reversed, and meaningful discussions between the parties take place as a matter of urgency. If you wish for any clarification on the ITF’s concerns please contact me.

Yours sincerely

David Cockroft
General Secretary

Useful links:
The ITF is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
The Maritime Union of Australia
represents around 10,000 Australian stevedoring workers, seafarers and port workers.

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