Pentonville Five

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The Pentonville Five were five docker shop stewards jailed in July 1972 by the National Industrial Relations Court (NIRC) for contempt of court. They were sent to HM Prison Pentonville in London. The background to the strike was a clash between the Tory government under Edward Heath elected in June 1970 and the Trade Union movement, involving the first national miners’ strike in Britain since 1926, with mass picketing, and clashes between police and workers.

Initially the police arrested all bar Vic Turner on the picket line at Chobham Farm. Vic Turner was at another location when he found out what had happened, and he went immediately to Chobham Farm to surrender for arrest as the prime mover in the strike and picketing. However after presenting himself at the picket line he was told by the police that they were under instructions not to arrest him. The next day the headlines sreamed "Leader of the dockers on the run" and "Dock leader goes into hiding to avoid arrest". When he read this Vic went straight to a pub in Canning Town frequented by the police from the local station and fronted a superintendent that he knew and asked him why didn't he arrest him. He was told that they were under instructions to "turn a blind eye" if they saw him and under no circumstances to arrest him.

Vic then decided that if they were going to pretend that he was on the run and afraid of arrest, then the only thing to do was to be so high profile that they could not ignore him. He therefore took himself off to Pentonville and began a picket at the front gates. The press soon realised what was happening and within a short time the police were forced to take action.

Vic was approached by the Chief Constable and asked if he would be prepared to go round to the side of the building where he could be formally arrested away from the media scrum. Vic said that this was fine but insisted that he was accompanied by his son and another relative just to make sure he didn't trip up on the way there and injure himself........ The photo of the three of them walking past the gates was then front page on all the papers.

Following their arrest, a rolling series of strikes began to cause work stoppages until there was virtually an unofficial national strike. The action of the trades unions brought the nation to a standstill, and forced the government of the day into a corner. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) then called for an official national strike, demanding the release of the 5 shop stewards. As a result of this appeal thousands of striking workers marched through North London to Pentonville Prison.

The crisis came to a head and total disaster was averted when the previously unknown Official Solicitor (advised by John Vinelott, later a High Court judge) went in person to the prison and, drawing upon ancient powers that nearly everyone had forgotten about, ordered the five shop stewards released. This action resolved a major constitutional and political crisis at the time.

Subsequently Vic Turner continued to work in the docks, transferring from the Royal Group of docks to Tilbury. However he left the docks under the voluntary redundancy scheme and started working for Newham Council. He was then elected as a Councillor and served for many years before being elected as Mayor.

During this period he was also presented with the Transport and General Union Gold Medal for his work for the union.

The radical film group Cinema Action made a documentary called Arise Ye Workers during the struggle. The film won the Silver Dove at the Leipzig Film Festival and was screened by the jailed dockers on the anniversary of their release from jail.

[edit] The five

  • Tony Merrick
  • Conny Clancy
  • Derek Watkins
  • Vic Turner
  • Bernie Steer

[edit] External links