Tagged with Shrewsbury 24

Four decades on, the cover up of the persecution of the Shrewsbury 24 continues

Shrewsbury 24Tomorrow , the House of Commons is to debate a motion on the release of papers relating to the bulding strike of 1972 and the prosecution of the Shrewsbury 24.  Dave Anderson MP, who will lead the debate, explains the background.

Those involved in the Shrewsbury 24 campaign have, for over four decades, tried to get justice for a group of building workers who were disgracefully treated after they took part in picketing during the national building workers strike of 1972. This was a momentous year for successful industrial action with both miners and dockers securing seriously better terms and conditions for themselves. When the building workers secured a 20% pay rise, the employers and the government were seriously rattled and they decided to use the full force of the state to roll back the activities of trade unions and minor political parties. Continue reading →

Forty year wait for justice continues for Shrewsbury 24

Shrewsbury24-Downing-StreetI have recently joined the Shrewsbury 24 justice campaigners on the steps of Downing Street to hand a petition signed by over 100,000 people to the Prime Minister demanding the release of all official documents relating to the prosecution of the Shrewsbury 24 in 1973.

Despite the passage of forty years the release of the documents are being held in secret at the National Archives on the grounds of “national security”, denying justice to those convicted for nothing more than organising the first ever national strike in the building industry.

The national building strike in 1972 was hugely successful in that unionised workers gained a record pay increase, but more importantly they forced the big construction companies to provide improved health and safety conditions on sites. Continue reading →