Dealing with the anti-worker laws in the building industry on a daily basis, we sometimes forget that workers have faced and continue to face repressive laws in other countries.

I recently attended the conference of the Union of Construction and Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) in England. UCATT are campaigning to get a pardon for two workers who were jailed for industrial activity in 1973.

Des Warren and Ricky Tomlinson (now a famous actor) known as the Shrewsbury Two, were jailed for their part in leading pickets during the national 1972 building workers’ strike.

The pair were part of the flying pickets campaign which was about organising effectively on scattered sites in an industry notorious for dividing workers and undermining safety conditions.

They were arrested in February 1973 along with six other people on charges of intimidation and causing an affray. Both charges were later dropped, but they were sentenced to jail for offences under the Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act over their flying picket activity in Shrewsbury. They were trumped up charges for which Warren served three years and Tomlinson two.

Danger still exists
The most disturbing thing is that the laws that were responsible for jailing the workers are still firmly in place. Nothing has changed. It could happen to somebody else again tomorrow.

This is why we are so committed to see the end of the laws that hang over every building worker in this country. It’s not enough for the ABCC to be disbanded and merged with Fair Work Australia if the laws are still the same.

This is why we will continue to fight so that workers can take action to protect their livelihood and their conditions without the threat of jail hanging over them.

Whoever wins this election, you can be sure that our priority will be, as it always has been, to protect, as best we can all the workers in our industry.

Bill Oliver