"Its one thing to fight, its another thing to know how to fight"

December 10, 1999

In August 1996, 20 dockers at the Torside yard were sacked to make way for the casualisation of the Docks. Following an official Union ballot in early September it was agreed to take industrial action. Just over two weeks later, however, all 80 Torside employees found themselves sacked. Typically other Dockworkers in Liverpool were resolute in the their solidarity. However when workers at the Merseyside Docks and Harbour Company refused to cross the Torside picket, a further 500 men found themselves out of work, locked out by their employers.

So began a two and half year struggle for reinstatement and an end to the casualisation of the Docks which was to eventually result in defeat.

Mickey Teague, ex-Liverpool Dockworker and his wife Sylvia, founder member of Women of the Waterfront, were guests in Bradford yesterday at the May Day Discussion Groups monthly meeting at the 1in12 Club. To a packed house, both spoke about their experiences of the dispute, how it had effected them personally and what they felt the lessons politically had been.

"For twenty eight months we fought against the Tories, then Labour and our own Union and that's what hurt the most." explained Mickey. "Our own Union wouldn’t come out and say they supported us, they didn’t dare fight the anti-trade union laws. Bad Laws must be broken.

"99% of the industrial action the Dockers ever took was unofficial action in support of others, the Nurses, the Miners, Black workers in South Africa. But in our case there was no difference between the Tories and Labour".

Sylvia was actively involved with Women of the Waterfront (WOW), and spoke about how proud they were to support the men, even if at least initially the Dockers’ were far from enthusiastic about the W.O.W.

"We had arguments about it at first" explained Sylvia, "but it bought us together in the end. If you’re not united in the home how can you be united outside it".

"I was one of those who voted against the women being involved at first" said Micky "I suppose it was like when my Father had worked at the Docks, my Mother would never have been allowed down there. But I soon changed my mind."

Women of the Waterfront were at the forefront at every stage of the dispute, knocking on managers doors, leafletting the neighbours of scabs, sending delegations to speak up and down the country. A constant source of inspiration and physical support.

Sylvia also lost her own job during the dispute but still felt able to speak positively about the two and a half years of struggle,.

"At the end we were totally traumatised, right up until the last day I thought they’d win and get their jobs back. But despite everything we really enriched our lives through it, and now, where we can give support to others we will."

In the aftermath of the dispute the picture looked bleak for the men. All five hundred Dockers have been blacklisted from the Docks and many faced hardship, debt and the prospect of never working again. Nonetheless once those worst effected were helped, the rest of the men sunk their meager Company pay-off into a collective project called the ‘Initiative Factory’.

"We bought our own building in Bishop Goss and run it as a 'dropin and shopin', keeping people active as human beings. We've got 25 lads on multi-media courses at £150 p/w, and 10 lads, five black and five white, doing a music and art fusion NVQ. In addition we want to reopen the Casablanca as a recording studio for the kids, and have a bar and meeting rooms."

For now the Dockers still meet at the T&G’s Transport House, where the continue to hold the open mass meetings that became such a focus during the dispute.

"The T&G asked us why we still wanted to meet there and we told them that it was our Union and our building. Our meetings are open to everyone and totally democratic. We only get 200 odd now but I think that's pretty good really. If you ever visit Liverpool ring us and come along." said Micky.

"We’ve got to organise," he continued, "Bill Morris and the others worry about money; financial support is tremendous but at the end of the day what you really need is physical support.

"I'm so proud of Reclaim the Streets (RTS) and what they did to support us during the dispute. I remember going to London for an RTS meeting about the March for Social Justice, it was a tremendous experience. We are all fighting for the same thing. But it's one thing to fight, it's another to know how to fight! We can learn so much from each other.

"Seattle was excellent, it shows what can be achieved. The new internet technology has helped organise working class movements. Capital knows no boundaries and we must respond in a similar way. The International Dockworkers Committee (IDC) is another example of what can be done."

Mickey explained how Dockers’ had previously been reliant on the International Transport Federation (ITF) for the co-ordination of international solidarity, but wouldn’t do anything unless the Union leadership agreed.

The IDC, of which ex Liverpool Docker Jimmy Nolan had just been elected Chair, was an attempt provide the means for more immediate, rank and file, international solidarity.

"This time" said Mickey "when the Vancouver Longshoremen took action against their employers, the Liverpool men were able to use the internet to spread the word round the World, and that's why they won.!!"

See the Liverpool Dockers site at Labournet.

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