Scrap Rudd’s ABCC – Defend Ark Tribe
SP Newsletter No.314
On June 15 South Australian construction worker Ark Tribe will face court charged with refusing to attend an interrogation with the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). This trial highlights yet another broken election promise from Kevin Rudd – in this case scrapping John Howard’s anti-worker laws.
Ark Tribe faces a potential 6 month jail sentence for refusing to answer questions regarding a safety dispute at Flinders University in May of 2008. Workers at the site had raised concerns over safety for months but had been ignored by management.
In response the workers contacted the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) who attempted to hold a meeting with union members. But union officials were denied access to the site by the management. Seeing no other option, the union contacted Safework South Australia who issued two prohibition notices to the management, forcing them to fix the problems.
In response to this the management called in the ABCC who began to harass workers over their role in the dispute. The bosses who were responsible for the safety breaches were ignored entirely by the ABCC, despite the fact that officially the industry watchdog is supposed to ensure fairness in the construction industry for all participants, including workers.
Since its establishment in 2005 the ABCC has used its coercive powers to undermine the rights of many construction workers and union delegates and prevented them from organising on site. Workers can be fined up to $22,000 for stopping work over safety issues, and can be jailed for up to 6 months if they refuse to answer questions during ABCC interrogations.
The ABCC also has the right to secretly record union meetings and the power to deny construction workers the right to legal representation during interviews. The unfairness of these laws is heightened by the fact that they target only those who work in the construction industry.
The consequences of these draconian laws are that deaths in the construction industry have doubled since the ABCC was established. In 2005 15 construction workers were killed on the job, while in 2009 31 were killed. This shows the negative effect that the restrictions on union organising has had on workplace safety.
In response to Labor’s decision to maintain the ABCC the CFMEU has called for its members to vote for Greens candidates in the Senate. However, the union will still remain affiliated to the Labor Party. In a further condemnation of Rudd’s IR laws the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) in Victoria has begun a push to disaffiliate from the ALP.
Even the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a United Nations agency, has condemned the ABCC and much of Rudd’s Fair Work legislation. In a recent report the ILO stated that the restrictions on industrial action enforced by the ABCC breach a number of ILO conventions.
If Ark Tribe is jailed the only appropriate response would be for an immediate 24 hour strike to be called in the construction industry. Further to this the union movement needs to organise an ongoing campaign in defence of Tribe and against the ABCC. Such a campaign should include industrial action and be organised by mass meetings of delegates in the industry. An appeal to workers in other industries and for broader community involvement will also be important.
Labor’s reluctance to disband the ABCC and do away with the worst of the Howard’s IR legislation, such as restrictions on the right to strike, shows that they are committed to the interests of big business, not workers.
This is just one reason why the Socialist Party calls on unions to disaffiliate from the Labor Party. To effectively defend our rights workers need their own political representation. We need a new workers party that is not held back by the corruption and big business orientation of Labor.
SP Public Meeting in Melbourne - Crisis in the Middle East
Conflict and division dominates Israel/Palestine. But this is not in the interests of the working class and oppressed – it serves only the ruling elites in the region and the west. Will it ever be possible to build workers unity on both sides and break the grip of fear? This meeting will examine the situation.
7pm Wednesday June 16 @ Trades Hall, corner of Lygon & Victoria Streets Carlton South. For more information phone 96399111.
Other upcoming SP meetings
The Melbourne Branch of the Socialist Party meets every Wednesday 7pm at Trades Hall on the corner of Lygon & Victoria Streets Carlton South. Upcoming meetings include:
16/6 – The Middle East: A socialist analysis
23/6 – Refugees: Are they a threat to our standard of living?
30/6 – Who was Rosa Luxemburg?
7/7 – The NT Intervention 3 years on
For more information or for details of meetings in other parts of Australia contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111.
News links:
Israel / Palestine: “We will not stop protesting against the thuggery of the right”
http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/4329
Spain: Millions of public sector workers strike against austerity attacks
http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/4334
Hong Kong: June 4 vigil “biggest ever” say police
http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/4321
Join the Socialist Party
If you agree with what you have read in our newsletter or on our website you should consider joining SP. The Socialist Party has branches in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Perth as well as members and supporters in all other states.
We are involved in trade union work and student work. We also run community, anti-war and environmental campaigns. But most of all we want to build a party that will fight to get rid of the capitalist system, the system that is at the root of all of these problems. We fight for socialism - a system that will bring an end to wars, poverty and environmental destruction. To join SP contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111 and we will send you a membership application form.
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Socialist Party contact details
Melbourne: Phone Anthony on 0396399111.
Sydney: Phone Gary on 0297287727.
Newcastle: Phone Samantha on 0249681545.
Adelaide: Phone David on 0883441474.
Perth: Phone John on 0894020728.
Rest of Australia: Phone our National Office on 0396399111.
Rest of the world: Phone our International Office on ++ 44 20 8988 8760.
The Socialist Party is the Australian section of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI). The CWI is organised in over 40 countries across the world.
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