Summary
Produced for the MUA’s Working Class Idol competition, this is a short documentary articulating the role and importance of the union delegate on the waterfront. The film explores the threat posed by the Howard Government’s radical industrial relations changes and how this impacts on the role of the delegate. Past and current MUA officials are interviewed, including the National Secretary of the MUA, Paddy Crumlin, who states that workers are in a class struggle with those who would like to prevent workers from organising themselves.
Special Notes/Achievements
Fifty years after the formation and demise of the Waterside Workers Federation Film Unit, in 2004 the Maritime Union of Australia agreed to establish the MUA Film Unit. To recruit filmmakers for the new film unit, film competitions titled Working Class Idol were held. [1]
[1] Dare To Struggle Film Festival (n.d.), Waterside Workers Film Unit [website], viewed Jan 18, 2023 <https://www.daretostrugglefilmfestival.net.au/mua-film-unit/>
Author: J Bird, 2023