Summary
Produced for the 2004 MUA National Conference, this conference video presents the MUA as a militant union with democratic traditions of rank and file control and a mission to protect the wages and conditions of maritime workers. The film opens with a large painting depicting a montage of MUA history and class struggle, before it recounts some of the seminal events in the union’s history, including the Dog Collar Act, stopping pig iron destined for Japan before World War Two, the large number of seamen’s lives lost during the war, the battle to replace the Bull System and the stabilisation of employment on the docks, the Patrick Dispute and women’s increasing participation in the union.
Special Notes/Achievements
Author: J Bird, 2023