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ARK
TRIBE
RALLIES
TO
DEFEND
WORKERS'
RIGHT TO
SAFETY
30
October 2009
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A national
test case
for workers
rights will
be the focus
of a
passionate
rally
outside the
Adelaide
Magistrate's
Court today
(Friday
30/10/09,
11.00 am,
Victoria
Square)
Construction
worker Ark
Tribe faces
6 months
jail for
allegedly
failing to
attend an
Australian
Building and
Construction
Commission
inquisition.
The ABCC
alleges Mr
Tribe
attended a
safety
meeting at a
Flinders
Hospital
worksite,
where the
CFMEU held a
range of
concerns
about worker
safety.
The ABCC
alleges that
Mr Tribe
refused to
appear
before them
and report
on his
workmates.
SA Unions
President,
Nick
Thredgold
says Mr
Tribe is
being
persecuted
even though
he has not
broken any
Australian
law.
"The ABCC is
a flawed
system that
strips
construction
workers of
the rights
enjoyed by
everyone
else and
treats them
less fairly
than other
Australians.
They don't
have the
right to a
lawyer of
their
choice.
They don't
even have
the right to
remain
silent.
Even
murderers
have more
rights than
construction
workers", Mr
Thredgold
says.
CFMEU SA
Secretary,
Martin
O'Malley
says the
ABCC is
seeking to
penalise
workers
who've
committed no
crimes,
while
companies
continue to
get away
with
appalling
rates of
workplace
death and
injury due
to shortcuts
on safety
and shoddy
standards.
"The
sickening
irony is
that workers
are
regularly
killed and
injured by
company
negligence,
but its
workers who
face jail if
they dare to
stop work
after a
fatality -
penalties
worse than
the employer
could expect
to incur if
ever they
were
convicted
over the
death."
"These laws
are
un-Australian,
and we will
resist them.
We are
heartened by
the strong
support
being shown
by our
colleagues
who plan to
rally
nationally
and send a
strong
message to
the Rudd
government
that it must
keep its
pledge to
repeal these
divisive,
discriminatory
and unfair
laws", Mr
O'Malley
says.
The Adelaide
rally will
be addressed
by eminent
historian
and author
Humphrey
McQueen, and
civil
libertarian
lawyer
George
Mancini.
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Community Meetings:
Regular community meetings are being held in the areas of Makin, Wakefield or Kingston. Come along, bring your friends and family to discuss issues facing workers today.
Contact SA Unions for the dates of the next meetings
saunions@saunions.org.au
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