Shrewsbury trials will be over by Christmas. The Judge has told the parties in the Court that he is anxious to grin a verdict on the fiest six building workers before 20 December. This makes it urgent for the movement of opposition to the trials, built up over many months, to prepare to make an immediate response.
CONSPIRACY The six whose cases are being heard at the moment are all branch secretaries and chairmen in the T&GWU or UCATT. It was these pen who organised the Aying pickets in the Shrewsbury arca daring the building strike last year, when violent confrontations are alleged to have occurred. Charged with consparacy to intimidate workers to ahstain from work, their le gal fate will decisively influence that of the remaining 18.
The movement to defend the Shrewsbury 24 must be crystal clear on one thing. It is not a question of whether these men are imprisoned or whether the ruling class can get away with Itating picketing as a conspiracy, and those who organise il as conspirators. The ruling class want io find out at Shrewsbury what the response of the working class movement wil be it trade unionists are convicted under the laws of criminal conspiracy rather than the movement must react vigorously to any conviction, Irrespective of the sentence. The Shrewsbury Defence Committees up and PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED 24 NOVEMBER all the stops to get action should the six be found guilty. Strike action in such a situation would be a warning to the ruling class not to proceed further with the trials, and would prépare the movement for a campaign of action to demand a pardon for the six. ATTACK ON PICKETING The attempt by the ruling class lo open up the road to jalling one worker after another under the conspiracy laws is part of a determined attack against picketing. As we run up to the strugele against Phase 3, the other preparations being made are ciear for all to sce: the attack on Sheffield journalists by the picket-busting thugs who made their debut at Chrysler, the creaton of il special anti-picket intelsgence service at Scotland Yard, the demands of groups like the coal merchants Tor police and army "protection against miners pickets etc. The Shrewshury Defence Committees can play a leading role in preparing the working class movement to deal with these vital problems. Several are now involved in preparing local conferences to discuss not only measures to defend the 24, but also the practical steps needed now to defend pickets in the localities. For instance, Portsmouth Defence Committee, a sub-committeo of the Portsmouth and Havant Trades Councils, is organising a conference on picketing and the law ou 9 December, sponsored by several local shop stewards committees One of the sessions will be on how to defend pickets during the struggle against Phase 3 Following the attacks by police on pickets The NALGO Inadership's failure to fight adequately conference as observers. Police carry away picket during recent Tampax strike in Portsmouth during the recent Tampax strike there, some local militants are hoping that a picketing pool on which all pickets under attack could draw will emerge from the conference. Trades councils and other union bodies taroughout the South East will be invited to attend the This is the type of initiative which should be followed up and down the country, It will strengthen both the tight to defend the 24 and help lu centralise the movement against the forcos of the State. whüch the light against Phase 3 must involve.