Maritime Union’s Quadrennial National Conference begins in Adelaide

The Conference plays an essential role in the democratic processes of the 151 year old organisation as the highest governance forum of the Union.

Throughout more than 150 years, the MUA has prevailed against bad employers, international cartels, conservative governments, media tycoons and more recently anti-worker technologies like Artificial Intelligence and automation.

There have been attempts to deregister the Union, officials and members have been gaoled and prosecuted, and activist members have on occasion been seriously injured and killed in the defence of their Union.

The MUA has met these challenges on every occasion with the courage, foresight and unity of generations of maritime workers and their families and with support of other working men and women in Australia and internationally. Throughout that rich and important history, our strategies, policies, political campaigns and resolutions have originated from National Conferences.

At the commencement of the Conference, MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin said, “This conference will again determine the strategy and framework for tackling the great challenges facing our Union over the coming four years while realising the opportunities that the current environment provides us.”

“Our Conferences have always been a participative, democratic and enormously respected process that engages in at times robust but always open and fulsome discussion about those challenges and opportunities we face,” Crumlin said.