Don't forget March on May Day

http://www.cpa.org.au/guardian/2014/1636/02-editorial.html

March for workers’ rights

May Day is a day belonging to the workers of the world, a day for the working class to celebrate its many fine achievements and to focus on the struggles ahead. There is no shortage of challenges, with workers and trade unions under attack around the world. In Australia, the Abbott government has launched an all-out war on the trade union movement.

The government offensive includes increased powers for the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).

The ABCC Bill extends coverage to any resources platform in the creation of an exclusive economic zone or in the waters above the continental shelf and any ship, in the same zone or waters travelling to or from (or both to and from) an Australian port and to transportation to building sites such as by rail, plane or truck.

This means the Maritime Union of Australia, the Transport Workers Union and other unions such as rail will come under the ABCC. Community and trade union pickets are outlawed. The right to strike is all but completely outlawed and penalties for breaches increased from $51,000 to $170,000 per day per offence for trade unions and from $10,200 to $34,000 for individuals – workers and trade union officials.

In addition trade unions, officials and workers face the ongoing risk of being sued millions of dollars for damages. The aim is to smash trade unionism and rid building sites of militant workers by intimidation and bankrupting them.

There are a number of other dangerous provisions in Abbott’s ABCC legislation that criminalise legitimate trade union activity but the most the media does is repeat the lies about “thuggish” and “violent” trade union behaviour and ignore the criminality of employers who do not pay benefits and put workers’ lives at risk.