Blacklist Scandal: NUJ supports fight for justice

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Tuesday, 09 October 2012

Written by Socialist Appeal

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The national conference in Newcastle of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has passed without opposition a resolution supporting the Blacklist Support Campaign in their fight to expose the anti-union scandal of the blacklist being operated in the construction industry.

Moving the resolution, London Central branch delegate Steve Jones explained how it was discovered that construction firms had enjoyed access to over 3,000 files on workers, with each file containing pages and pages of information about their union and political activities. This was clearly illegal and had resulted in hardship for many workers who had been denied employment. The delegate conference supported the call for a full public inquiry into the collusions of the police and security services over the operation of this blacklist.

The previous day delegates had attended a fringe meeting where a blacklisted worker, Roy, had outlined how this scandal ties in with others including those being investigated by the Leveson Inquiry.

In a separate motion, also moved by the London Central NUJ branch, conference gave support to the fight for justice for the Shrewsbury 24. Delegates heard how the pickets were tried in court as part of a politically motivated campaign by the state to break the power of the union following the 1972 building workers’ strike.