MEDIA ALERT
Friday, 18 December 2009
Unions rally behind South Australian construction worker in court today
South Australian workers and their families will gather outside Adelaide Magistrates’ court
today, at 11.30am Friday the 18th of December, in support of local construction worker, Ark
Tribe. A date for Mr Tribe’s trial is expected to be set today.
Mr Tribe is fighting charges laid against him by the Australian Building and Construction
Commission (ABCC) and will appear before the court on Friday for the fourth time this year.
He faces a jail sentence of up to six months for allegedly failing to attend a compulsory
interrogation by the ABCC in 2008, and will spend Christmas with the possibility of jail time
hanging over his head.
CFMEU SA Secretary, Martin O’Malley, who will be standing alongside Mr Tribe in court
today, will be available for a doorstop interview at 11.40am outside the Adelaide
Magistrates’ court, Victoria Square. Mr Tribe is due in court at 11.50am.
Under the Federal Government’s industrial relations laws, construction workers like Mr Tribe
can be fined up to $22,000 for stopping work or jailed for up to six moths for refusing to
attend or answer questions at secret interrogations.
CFMEU SA Secretary, Martin O’Malley, who will be standing alongside Mr Tribe in court
today, urged the Federal Government to scrap its building industry laws and put an end to
the ABCC.
“No worker should have to face time behind bars for standing up for their basic rights on site,
like taking a stand for basic safety standards,” Mr O’Malley said.
“This is a particularly difficult situation for Ark Tribe. Going into Christmas he has the
possibility of jail time hanging over his head. That’s a terrible thing for him and his family to
have to deal with.”
The CFMEU along with other Australian construction workers have launched a Christmas
appeal to the Rudd Government, urging members of the public to send a Christmas card to
the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Construction unions aim to send Mr Rudd 10,000 Christmas cards, pleading for the abolition
of the ABCC and the restoration of one law for all Australian workers.
To find out more about the unions’ Christmas appeal please go to
Ends.
For more information please call Martin O’Malley on 0413 705 100 or Tim Fitzsimmons
(EMC) on 0423 375 522.
NEWS 
