Union leaders accused of conspiracy in waterfront blockade

“Immeasurable” harm has been inflicted on Australia’s Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) by a union strike now into its third week. The Sydney Morning Herald reports more than 1,000 containers containing Christmas goods, fresh produce, and medicine have been stranded. Despite the Supreme Court ordering its end, the union action continues. The source of the dispute hinges on VICT’s refusal to give further shifts to a casual employee and union campaigner, who failed a security clearance due to a criminal conviction. One source claims AU$2m in revenue has already been lost. A separate report in ABC claims a truck driver attempting to break the picket line had his teeth knocked out.