Summer Issue 2012 - cfmeu

F E AT U R E
with Joe McDonald
RICKY TOMLINSON: Working class hero
framed by his country
CFMEU member Chris Evans has
always seen Ricky Tomlinson as a
hero. On a recent trip to the UK he
visited Tomlinson’s club The
Green Room in Liverpool, hoping
for a chance to meet him. Chris
even took our union book “If you
don’t fight, you lose” to give to
him. As fate would have it, Chris
met Ricky and presented him with
our book and in turn Ricky gave
Chris an autographed copy of his
Biography.
SO, WHO IS RICKY TOMLINSON?
The Shrewsbury 24 were trade
unionists who had taken part in a
successful national strike of building
workers in 1972 to back up their
demands for better pay and
conditions. The Tory government of
the time instructed the police to
investigate alleged picketing
incidents that had taken place in
Shrewsbury, where unions were
poorly organised.
In 1972, 31 pickets were arrested
and put on trial in Shrewsbury. 24
were convicted. The Tory
government was trying to wreak
revenge on striking building
workers, after being given a bloody
nose by the miners and the
Dockers.
Severe prison sentences were
dished out to six of the pickets. The
best known were Des Warren and
Ricky Tomlinson, the "Shrewsbury
2." Des died as a direct result of the
treatment he received in prison and
all 24 were blacklisted after the
strike.
Successive governments have
refused to clear their name. But the
campaign has been revived and is
calling for a public inquiry into the
prosecutions.
They are also demanding the
release of government documents
from 1972 and 1973 that detail the
involvement of the security services,
including MI5, in the cases.
Labour movement protests at the
time of the trial of the “Shrewsbury
Two”, as they had become known,
focussed on the use of the 1875
Conspiracy Act and by the judge’s
advice to the jury that conspiracy
could be proved even if there was
no evidence that the accused had
ever met together, had reached a
decision as a result of having a
conversation or had expressed
anything in writing – it could be
done “with a nod and a wink”
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY
WERE SENT TO PRISON?
Through 1974 and 1975 there was a
labour movement campaign for the
release of the Shrewsbury Two, but
despite the best efforts of their
supporters, Des and Ricky served
their time behind bars. Dennis
Warren spent just under three years
in 12 different gaols and on his
release published a pamphlet
drawing attention to the many
injustices he had suffered in prison.
Ricky Tomlinson, who was released
Ricky
Tomlinson,
left, with
Chris Evans
in 1975, has since gone on to
become a popular TV and film actor.
He has written about his
Shrewsbury experience in his
autobiography and, after Des died in
2005, delivered a moving oration at
Des’s funeral.
LET’S CLEAR THEIR NAMES!
Following Des’s death in 2005,
members of the South West London
Shrewsbury Defence Committee
agreed with Des’s family to launch a
campaign to clear the names of all
the Shrewsbury pickets.
The Shrewsbury 24 Campaign
claims a Hillsborough-style cover up
is preventing cabinet papers on the
matter from being released. Ricky
and his team say the real reason is
because they will expose
involvement in the case at the
highest government level, right to
the door of Number 10.
The e-petition, which has been
signed by around 1,150 people so
far, requires 100,000 signatures to
generate a Commons debate.
For more Information Google:
Shrewsbury 24 and Ricky
Tomlinson.
Construction Worker – Summer 2012 Page 33
CFMEU