MP wants inquiry into 1984 Cammell Laird shipyard strike convictions

The dispute saw some of the men occupy a partially-built warship and gas rig

The government must launch a public inquiry into a shipyard strike which saw 37 workers jailed, an MP has said.

The workers from Cammell Laird in Birkenhead were sentenced to a month in prison for contempt of court in 1984 after taking part in industrial action.

A Westminster Hall debate heard they were subsequently blacklisted and lost their redundancy and pension rights.

Labour MP Gareth Thomas said they had been "painted as militants", but had only acted to defend their community.

The men downed tools in May 1984 in an effort to stop compulsory redundancies at the shipbuilding yard and the dispute saw some of them occupy a partially-built warship and gas rig.

In August that year, they were sacked and were ordered off the site under trespassing laws.

When they refused, they were held in contempt of court and subsequently jailed.

'Not unsympathetic'

The member for Harrow West, who is a member of the shipbuilders GMB union, told MPs that those involved were "hardworking working class men [who] weren't schooled in law or in high politics, but there is surely something very honest in wanting to defend your community and the economic and social fabric of the area".

"I can find no record of any other group of striking workers sent to prison for contempt, or indeed any other such large group of workers sent to prison at all, as a result of a national dispute", Mr Thomas said.

"They were of course painted as militants.

"The politics and tactics of the 37 may not have been to everyone's taste, but their pride in the job and respect for the role they had was never mentioned."

He urged Justice Minister Edward Argar to consider launching a public inquiry into the matter and asked whether he would refer the case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which has responsibility for investigating alleged miscarriages of justice.

Mr Argar said the sentencing of the men was a "matter for our independent judiciary", but he did "recognise this is an incredibly difficult case for all those concerned with far-reaching and long-lasting impact".

"I am not unsympathetic to this case and particularly to the impact it has had on individuals," he said.

He added that the Ministry of Justice had "no power" to agree to the request for a public inquiry.

"This is a legally complex area," he said.

"If [Mr Thomas] writes to me, I will ask that my officials look in greater detail into those legal routes that I hope might just slightly move things forward."