Solidarity needed for Australian workers
Nov 19th, 2008 | By admin | Category: Appeals, Formal Economy
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The fight against trade union repression in Australia is approaching a critical point.
Noel Washington, an organiser with the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), will be facing court on Tuesday the 2nd of December.
Noel is facing the possibility of a 6 months jail sentence because of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). The ABCC’s extraordinary powers are there to restrict workers organising in the building industry, see www.rightsonsite.org.au
Noel is charged for refusing to attend an ABCC interrogation about a union meeting. The ABCC wants Noel to disclose what was said at this union meeting.
The CFMEU is one of the strongest unions in Australia.
In this climate of economic crisis and job losses, it is crucial to defend the right to organise and the right to take industrial action.
The capitalists want to neutralise our organisations and make us pay for their economic crisis. This is part of a regional wide trend in the Asia Pacific region to hinder and neutralise the power of workers to unite and fight for their rights.
What can you do:
1) Support Noel Washington, support the CFMEU, call for the abolition of the ABCC, and say yes to the right of workers to organise and take industrial action
Send solidarity messages to AAWL: aawl@aawl.org.au (Cc to the CFMEU: info@rightsonsite.org.au)
These messages will be read out at the rally on the 2nd of December.
2) Sign the petition on the official campaign website: http://www.rightsonsite.org.au/file.php?file=/take_action.html
3) Write to Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister; Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations to call for the abolition of the ABCC: Julia.Gillard.MP@aph.gov.au
4) Organise a solidarity action in front of Australian embassies/consulates on the 2nd of December to coincide with the demonstrations in Australia.
Yours in Solidarity
Piergiorgio Moro
Union Convenor
Australia Asia Worker Links
PO Box 45 Carlton South Victoria 3053 Australia
Tel: + 61 3 9663 7277 Email: aawl@aawl.org.au Web: aawl.org.au
ABN: 82 920 590 967 Inc Assn No: A1318
Dear all,
We just got email from AAWL that “facing increasing action by workers and trade unions in Australia and overseas, the Director of Public Prosecution has suddenly dropped all charges against Noel Washington for his refusal to answer to the Australian Building Construction Commission (ABCC).”
This is a great victory for Noel and workers in the construction industry.
However, the ABCC and the laws against construction workers still remain in place.
The AAWL will demonstrate at 10.00am outside the offices of the ABCC in Melbourne, 553 St Kilda Road, on Tuesday the 2nd of December, to celebrate the win for Noel Washington and to continue the campaign for the abolition of the ABCC. For more information, see http://www.rightsonsite.org.au/
Committee for Asian Women