I heard Hugh Morgan from the Business Council of Australia on the radio the other day and was reminded that he, like Doug Cameron, Martin Kingham and Sharon Burrow, is just another union leader trying to get the best for his members. But then I remembered the difference between the one and the three. The one is part of the capital owning class and therefore has undue influence on the outcomes of any dispute. One has the power to sack. The rest, only the power their members give them.
Lets not forget that Hugh Morgan as the top official at the BCA is there because, in the minds of the BCA members, he can best reflect and put a public face on their ideals, aspirations and demands. On the morning I heard Hugh he was defending the multimillion dollar pay out to two of the men who have potentially ripped off thousands of other, dying, men. The two in question are Peter Macdonald and Peter Shafron, formerly of James Hardie Industries.
While men, and in quite a few cases their wives and / or children are left to deal with the effects of unprotected exposure to the products they helped construct, these two ‘executives’ are ‘compensated’ for weaselling out of their contracts. However, even though they have been promised payouts of $8.8 million and $1.8 million respectively, Macdonald and Shafron will stay on as ‘consultants’ for the company.
During the recent inquiry into what James Hardie executives knew about the shortfall in the victim compensation scheme they established (and then stripped the assets from), the public face of James Hardie was Meredith Hellicar, chairperson of the Board of Directors. Aside from the fact that ice wouldn’t melt in her mouth, Ms. Hellicar obviously has no morality, sense of justice or human compassion. Or at least any discernible indication of human empathy. Even though David Jackson, the special commissioner who headed up the inquiry, noted in his report that Macdonald and Shafron were deceitful and basically lied to conceal the extent of their fraud, Ms. Hellicar stood by these two men and defended both their actions and the actions of the Board she now chairs. For her own defence, she said that all the actions leading to the inquiry happened before she was appointed, so it had nothing to do with her.
While people continued to be diagnosed or died as the inquiry ran its course, and Bob Carr discovered he was onto a winner – I don’t see much evidence that he has a lot of empathy to the working class – the share value of James Hardie rose. On the day of the resignations the stock hit a three month high of $6.17 as "the market appeared to ignore" the reality of the dying men and their families.
To boot, the mainstream press and its lickspittle reporters thought the resignations were a good thing. In fact, Stephen Bartholomeusz of ‘The Age’ went so far as to write, "Asbestos victims, and at least some of the James Hardie shareholders, will feel that justice has been belatedly served and accountability for the mistakes and misjudgments the company made has been demonstrated, albeit under pressure". Did this guy even read the inquiry findings?
Justice served? Misjudgments and mistakes? The executives of the company were found to have misled, deceived, lied to and ripped off all possible constituencies; their fellow executives and their Directors, the shareholders, the employees, ASIC, the government, compensation claimants and just about everyone else. But no, a so-called ‘financial expert’ writing for a major daily broadsheet newspaper tells us that we should "feel justice has been … served". One of us is living in another dimension and I don’t think its me.
Hugh Morgan, Stephen Bartholomeusz, Meredith Hellicar and the rest of the managerial class and their sycophantic hangers on, have very narrow minds. In a further demonstration of what evolutionary scientists call ‘survival of the fittest’ the various members of this class clamour for their own survival. Each own knowing that access to the limited resources they need to survive – money, privilege and power – are in strong demand. They know that if they don’t stake their claim, build allegiances with like-minded souls and defend their position vigorously, they, like the majority of people, may have to catch a bus or train to work rather than the company limo.
Hugh Morgan is a business lobby quisling. Like all of his class he has only two things on his mind. Satisfying his own carnal desires firstly and, secondly, attempting to sate the voracious appetite of the shareholders he ‘serves’. Like parasites Hugh, Meredith and Stephen rely as much on the host organism (the protected corporate structure) for the class position they enjoy as the shareholders (hungry for a return and in constant need of reassurance) they kowtow to. There is in this relationship no morality or humanity only greed for more resources, power and wealth.
In my estimation the inquiry into the deception and dishonesty of James Hardie and the fawning response of the business community, the capitalist press and, lets not forget, the Howard government who have not yet once said they will do anything to assist workers claim their just compensation, is another powerful demonstration of the real war being fought here on our shores and not some thousands of kilometres away. That war is, of course, class war.
Only a few short years ago hundreds of employees were sacked when their boss Chris Corrigan, ‘restructured’ his company. The Labor governments in Victoria and New South Wales responded to working class outrage by sending in the police to break up the peaceful picket lines outside the Patrick sites. The Howard government, prior to becoming the workers friend, introduced legislation designed to strip workers of their right to strike, boycott or otherwise interfere with the profit making capacity of a company. Labor supported the changes, although it did tinker around the edges. Even though that legislation didn’t get through last time, five will get you ten, it will in the coming months. So where does that leave the former James Hardie workers and those seeking compensation?
Firstly, none of us should be under the impression that our governments will offer any real assistance. While they can find millions and billions to give away as corporate welfare (and I wonder how long it will be before someone will find a ‘research grant’ or ‘assistance package’ was paid to James Hardie and thus contributed to their ability move off shore) there has been very little effective support given to the victims of this company’s tactics.
Hugh Morgan is just one voice competing for our attention. He does so alongside the Doug Camerons, Martin Kinghams and Sharon Burrows of the world. In many ways all of these people are far removed from us. However, there are those who are closer to us and who, very much, don’t have a voice to be heard. Those are the voices of the victims of the class war we see every day. They line up at Centrelink offices and soup kitchens. They beg on the streets and live in nursing homes. Many of their families die a little each day as they struggle to support the ebbing life force of their loved ones.
The battle is a real, material experience. There will be few winners but many losers. It is not pleasant but it is well hidden, especially by people such as Stephen Bartholomeusz, Meredith Hellicar and Hugh Morgan. We, who perhaps have not been so desperate for life, have only one choice to make. It will be a costly choice and we will pay a high price but it is a decision we cannot afford to delay. We already know which side Hugh, Meredith and Stephen are on but we must decide whose side we are on. Are we on the side of those whose voices are muted or will we chose to crow with our class opponents? Take care in your choosing because whichever way you go, you will see unpleasant things, experience hardship and pain and find yourself in uncomfortable situations. The choice is yours alone. Choose wisely and with compassion.