Inquiry demanded into seventies jailing of striking builders

Secretary of state for justice Jack Straw faced tough questions yesterday over a campaign for justice for construction workers jailed after a building strike in 1972.

Twenty-four building workers were charged with conspiracy that year, including Terry Renshaw, mayor of the North Wales town of Flint, who yesterday led the questioning. Six pickets were sent to prison.

The charges followed a major building strike, but the police case against the workers sparked controversy because it appeared politically motivated. It is believed that the then home secretary, MP Robert Carr, was heavily involved in the decision to prosecute.

Campaigners have been calling for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the case since the original trial, hoping to reveal collusion between the police, the judiciary and the Conservative government.

Thirty-six years after our arrest, the Shrewsbury Pickets and their families still deserve justice

Terry Renshaw, mayor of Flint

Renshaw, a member of Ucatt, quizzed Straw in a question and answer session during the Labour Party conference about why the Labour government had failed to hold an inquiry.

The two men then met privately to discuss the matter further but Straw was unable to give a firm commitment to open an inquiry. Renshaw said he was disappointed by this but felt pleased to have talked to the justice secretary.

“Thirty-six years after our arrest, the Shrewsbury Pickets and their families still deserve justice,” he said.

“An inquiry is needed not just to discover the lengths the British state went to victimise innocent workers, but to ensure that this can never happen again.”