This is what it means to be union

More than a week ago, almost a hundred wharfies from Sydney and Brisbane were sacked by Hutchison Ports Australia via a midnight text message and email.

The entire union movement banded together for a week long continuous community picket line at both ports. The RTBU NSW had a daily presence at Port Botany in Sydney, with our members, delegates and officials from across all divisions braving the icy and windy weather at all times of the day and night to show our solidarity with the sacked MUA members.

It paid off and recently when we received the news that the sacked Hutchinson Ports workers will return back to work after the Federal Court ordered the company to “rescind” its decision.

This is a massive victory for the MUA and the union movement as a whole and we at the RTBU were very proud to be a part of it. We want to thank all our members who came along at any time during the week.

The fight is not over yet – the matter will return to the court on September 1. But the
welcome news goes to show what workers can achieve when we stand together. To keep updated on this issue, you can follow the Facebook page.

Here’s RTBU member Glennda Blyth at the picket explaining why she braved the cold at Port Botany:

Here are some photos of the picket: