Shrewsbury 24 Campaign

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Letter to Branches





No. 069/13
Ref: GS: 15.0
Date: 07 February 2013


To: All Branches


Dear Colleague


Shrewsbury 24 Campaign

Attached to this LTB is an information sheet about the Shrewsbury 24 Campaign.

The CWU is supporting the Shrewsbury 24 Campaign in their application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to have the convictions of Ricky Tomlinson and his fellow building workers overturned.

The Government is consistently refusing to release all the documents relating to the trials. We have been informed that in 2011 the Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clark, decided that the documents would be kept secret for a further ten years under section 23 of the Freedom of Information Act which deals with national security.

The Shrewsbury 24 Campaign needs to reach 100,000 signatures by 27 June 2013 to force a debate in Parliament.

Ricky Tomlinson has launched an e-petition calling on the Government to release the papers. It can be found here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/35394" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. It is essential that these documents are made public to support the application to the CCRC.

Branches are urged to get our members and their families to sign the e-petition.

For more information please see the Campaign’s website:
http://www.shrewsbury24campaign.org.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Any enquiries on this LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary’s office quoting the reference GS15.0

Yours sincerely



W HAYES
General Secretary

Shrewsbury 24 Campaign
THE OFFICIAL SHREWSBURY 24
CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
Secretary: Kevin O’Hagan
Chairperson: Eddie Roberts
Treasurer/Researcher: Eileen Turnbull


INFORMATION SHEET

SHREWSBURY 24 CAMPAIGN – TO OVERTURN A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE

PLEASE SIGN OUR E-PETITION http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/35394" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
WE NEED 100,000 SIGNATURES BY THE DEADLINE - 27 JUNE 2013

This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the conspiracy trials following the first-ever national building workers strike. In 1972 construction workers faced hostile and powerful employers, lump labour and isolated workplaces that changed constantly whenever a contract finished. Building workers, predominantly in UCATT, the T&GWU, FTAT and the NUG&MW, organised themselves and carried out effective picketing of sites throughout the country. At the end of the twelve-week dispute, in September 1972, they succeeded in winning the highest ever pay rise in the history of the industry.

Five months after the 1972 building strike ended 24 pickets were picked up and charged with over 200 offences, including unlawful assembly, intimidation and affray. Six of the pickets were also charged with conspiracy to intimidate. None of the pickets had been cautioned or arrested during the strike. Approximately 70 police had accompanied the pickets on the Shrewsbury building sites at all times. No complaints were laid against the pickets at the time.

At the first Shrewsbury trial, beginning in October 1973, three of the pickets were found guilty of conspiracy to intimidate, unlawful assembly and affray. They were sent to prison: Des Warren for three years on each charge, Ricky Tomlinson for two years on each charge and John McKinsie Jones for nine months on each charge, all sentences to run concurrently.

Jailing these building workers remains one of the most notorious anti-trade union acts of the state in recent times. All the might of the police and criminal justice system were used against the pickets to deter trade unionists from organising effectively. The convicted Shrewsbury pickets were blacklisted from the industry and most were never able to work in their trade again.

Many trade unionists will recognise that these issues are the same as those that face us today, although the industries may have changed. Working people are being subjected to major attacks on living standards, pensions, health & safety and employment rights at work. Strong trade unions, then and now, are the only way that we can defend our hard-won rights and living standards.

The Shrewsbury 24 Campaign was established in 2006. Our aim is to overturn this miscarriage of justice. We have spent several years researching the background to the trials and have found fresh evidence to support the case. On 3rd April 2012 we submitted an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) on behalf of the pickets to have the case referred to the Court of Appeal, where we are confident it will be quashed.

Our research has uncovered many documents in the National Archives at Kew that have been released under the “thirty-year rule”. However, we have also found that there are a number of Government documents relating to the 1972 strike that have been withheld. The Government have used section 23 of the Freedom of Information Act to claim that these documents should not be seen on grounds of national security. We believe that these papers show the extent of the political interference in the case at the time.

We have launched two initiatives to have these documents released.

1. John McDonnell MP has sponsored an Early Day Motion calling upon the Government to release the documents. It currently has 50 signatures. We would ask you to encourage MPs to sign it if they have not already done so. It can be found at: http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2012-13/170" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

2. Ricky Tomlinson has created a Downing Street e-petition for the same purpose. We would be grateful if you would publicise this and circulate it to your affiliates to encourage members to sign it. We are confident that if this is done we will reach the target of 100,000 signatures that will trigger a parliamentary debate. It can be found at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/35394" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sixteen national trade unions have affiliated to our campaign, as well as many individual branches and trades councils. We have also received support from the TUC who gave a guest Blog spot to Ricky Tomlinson on their Stronger Unions site:
http://strongerunions.org/2012/08/01/th ... f-justice/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Most recently, the Labour Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, proposed a motion to the City Council in support of the campaign. He has called upon everyone to sign the e-petition and has requested that the Justice Secretary release the documents.

We would ask you to affiliate to the Campaign if you have not already done so.


The Campaign can provide speakers to trade union meetings to talk about the issues surrounding the 1972 strike and the subsequent arrests and trials. We can also provide up to date information about the latest research that we have carried out and the new evidence that we have discovered. Ricky Tomlinson will try to be available for as many meetings as possible.


Full details of the campaign, including affiliation information, are on our official website. A link can be found at the bottom of the page.


Eileen Turnbull
Researcher and Treasurer




Shrewsbury 24 Campaign, PO Box 92, Liverpool L19 3WD Tel: 07927-937773