Arc up for Ark Tribe

Vanguard November 2010 p. 1

Bill F.

Construction worker Ark Tribe (above) faces the Adelaide Magistrates Court again on November 3rd to learn his verdict in the drawn-out ABCC case against him.

Ark’s supporters will once again crowd together outside and inside the court, in greater numbers than ever before, to demand that these fascist charges be dropped and that Ark be left to get on with his life as an ordinary decent and respected worker.

The Howard-era Australian Building and Construction Commission continues to harass and victimise workers and unionists in the building industry. It is a law unto itself, exercising powers to summon and interrogate in secret, under threats of massive fines and gaol, almost anyone even remotely connected to the building industry. In practice this has meant dozens of ordinary workers like Ark Tribe; workers who have concerns about safety on the job and just want to talk to their union or complain to WorkSafe or, heavens forbid, stop work to avoid getting hurt. The ABCC declares this as almost criminal, bordering on terrorism.

The real target of the ABCC goons is to isolate and smash the building unions, to break their solidarity and intimidate the rest of the working class into giving up on struggle. These mugs have never heard of “lifting a rock, only to drop it on your feet”. All they have achieved is to make workers shake their heads in disgust and get behind their job delegates, their unions and courageous blokes like Ark, and back them to the hilt.

It’s all about money and profits – workers’ safety cost the bosses money. The big developers and construction giants are raking in big profits, they don’t want to use any of their profits to provide safe workplaces, while more and more workers die or get injured on building sites.

Everybody is watching. Workers in other industries know that if Ark goes down, these fascist laws will spread across other industries and their pay and conditions will be under even greater attacks. Outfits like the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Industry Group and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry will see to that.

That the ABCC has continued under a Labor government has been a shock to many workers. Government ministers who denounced the ABCC under the Howard regime are now looking the other way in the most cowardly and treacherous manner. It is a good lesson in the corrupting force of social democracy, greased by the perks of office. In the long run, workers can only rely on their own strength and the loyalty and solidarity of their class brothers and sisters.

· Scrap the ABCC – Stop criminalising workers who demand decent wages and conditions!
· Drop charges against Ark Tribe!