Webb Dock picket over after 19 days

THE illegal 19 day union picket at Melbourne’s Webb Dock is over, with a deal struck to pay the serial agitator responsible for the walk off to do nothing in a bid to get presents, food and medical supplies off containers before Christmas.

A SERIAL agitator whose cause to keep his job sparked a war on the wharf will be paid to do nothing, in a bid to get Christmas presents, food and medical supplies off containers.

An illegal 19 day picket came after the Victoria International Container Terminal agreed to keep Richard Lunt on the books and pay him renumeration, despite not giving him shifts as he does not have a valid security clearance.

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The blockade at Webb Dock is estimated to have cost more than $100 million in damages after tonnes of sports shoes, pet food, cheese, wine, seafood, fruit and medical supplies were held hostage during the dispute.

Between 100 and 200 trucks daily were prevented from leaving the dock, resulting in more than 1000 containers sitting idle on the dock.

Lunt, a close friend of former bikie enforcer Toby Mitchell, will be paid until his case is resolved at Fair Work some time next year.

Protesters at Webb Dock pack up and remove the blockade. Picture: Nicole Garmston

A protester takes down the signs. Protest at Webb Dock pack up and remove the blockade. Picture: Nicole Garmston

The Maritime Union of Australia went into bat for Lunt, a casual employee, after the company stopped giving him shifts when he failed to obtain a security clearance to work on the docks — but failed to tell the company for nine months.

The union’s fight for Lunt triggered a series of court battles and the MUA was banned from within of the site.

But just this week the judge found MUA “outsourced” its dispute to other ­unions, which were being co-ordinated by the Victorian Trades Hall Council.

The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union was also prohibited from being within 100m of the site after the court was shown “a substantial body of evidence” of its involvement.

While working at Station Pier, where he looked after the Spirit of Tasmania, Lunt was sacked after he jetted to Thailand for two weeks without any approval.

Protesters at Webb Dock pack up and remove the blockade. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Protesters at Webb Dock pack up and remove the blockade. Picture: Nicole Garmston

But during his bid to get his job back at the Fair Work Commission, he attempted to bug a secret meeting with a listening device at one of the commission’s conference rooms.

His application was then dismissed with the judge describing his attitude as “reprehensible”.

This also sparked an illegal picket that cost market growers millions of dollars in lost revenue.

In the latest Lunt saga, employees started to enter the site on Friday to start getting stock, which includes peanut butter, canned tuna, Oreos, Nike shoes and coffee, ready to be unloaded.

“We welcome the fact that the MUA will be processing its claims through the Fair Work Act,” VICE chief executive Anders Dommestrup said.

MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin said the end of the picket was a “circuit breaker” as there were still outstanding issues.

“A workable resolution has been reached in discussions between the union and company management which is a welcome relief at Christmas,” he said.

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