Justice for the Shrewsbury Pickets
Contact the Campaign | Articles | Images | Events| Latest News

London Meeting 27th Oct 2008. See 'Events' for details

 
Support the Campaign

Cost £10

"This book documents in detail what happened all those years ago. Lessons can be drawn from it for today’s workers in the construction industry who, once again, face appalling conditions." Ricky Tomlinson (May 2007)

 

To read Nick Warren's preface to this edition click here

 
Cost £2

First published in 1977, Des Warren lays out clearly here the real conspiracy of the government, in league with the building employers. He tells of his time in prison and how the rights of prisoners are systematically violated.

 

Cost £8
 

To order any of the above contact: justice4pickets@yahoo.co.uk

 

For copies of this A4 poster click here

 

 

After the 1972 Building Workers’ National Strike 24 Trade Unionists were tried at Shrewsbury in a hostile act perpetrated by a Tory Government to criminalise picketing. A number of these men were given severe prison sentences. Best known of them were Des Warren and Ricky Tomlinson, who became referred to as the “Shrewsbury 2.” Des died as a direct result of the treatment that was meted out to him during his lengthy incarceration.

Successive Governments both Tory and Labour, have remained unresponsive to the calls for these perverse judgements to be set aside, and for these men to be cleared. There is now a renewal of the campaign, even after all this time, and the death of some of those involved, to secure justice for these Trade Union Comrades.

The campaign is also calling for a Public Inquiry to expose the role of successive governments and the secret services in the events surrounding this important time in labour history.

More about Des Warren

Ricky Tomlinson, Des Warren and Terry Renshaw with others from the ‘Shrewsbury 24’ at a demonstration outside the Shrewsbury court committal proceedings on 15 March 1973

 
Flying Picket Song
(The Shrewsbury three, 1974) Words: Combine Theatre and Dave Rogers: Tune E Pickford. Courtesy of Banner Theatre

‘Twas in the year of seventy-two, when the miners’ strike was done
And the dockers just released from jail, another victory won
That a claim for shorter hours and higher pay was being made
On the part of those construction men who work in the building trade

Chorus
And it’s out you go, on the road, Jack, whether morning noon or night
From Liverpool, London, Wales and Brum, get ‘em out on every site

Said the union leaders, “Cool it lads and leave it up to us
We’ve always seen you right before and the governors want no fuss”
But the lads had seen through them alright, they said, “No compromise
We’re going out for thirty quid, so brothers organise”
Chorus

From day to day the struggle spread but still it would not do
Lump labour sites were working and supplies were getting through
Said the local strike committees, “We’ll pull out all the stops
We’ll pull out all the scabs and then we’ll pull out all the cops”
Chorus

So up and down the country the pickets they did fly
“If you want a living wage then come and join us” was the cry
From underneath a trailer, in a trench or up a crane
The flying pickets put their case and then moved on again
Chorus

The tide began to turn at last as lumpers organised
The bosses knew the industry was damned near paralysed
To pay the workers’ wage demands it hurt those bastards sore
But to see them getting organised, it hurt them ten times more
Chorus

The Justice for the Shrewsbury Pickets Campaign demands a full public inquiry to lift the lid on the political conspiracy behind the jailing of the Shrewsbury pickets. Click here for some of the questions that the Campaign want answered.