Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/599/8296
From The Socialist newspaper, 28 October 2009
Energy giant 'fanciful to the point of paranoia'
Goliath got a bloody nose on 21 October, when the attempt by Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) to use anti-terror legislation against blacklisted construction worker Steve Acheson was thrown out by the High Court.
Steve is a long-standing trade unionist, a fighter for the rights and conditions of construction workers, who consequently has been systematically denied work by the industry bosses. Sacked from Fiddlers Ferry power station in Widnes, Cheshire, 10 months ago, Steve has since mounted a peaceful protest outside the gates, demanding his job back. Incredibly, the company sought an injunction against Steve and his protest using 'anti-terror' legislation.
Steve spoke to The Socialist about his appearance at the High Court in London:
"Apparently SSE had applied for an injunction, without me knowing anything about it, back in July; against eco-protesters, and they included me in it. But the judge at that hearing, Mr Justice Lewis, said 'Mr Acheson needs to know about this' and that was why I got handed the basic court papers outside Fiddlers Ferry. I didn't have the full papers till the very day of the hearing.
The judge in my case, Mr Justice Mann, said to SSE: 'You are saying Mr Acheson is a threat to the power station, yet no papers were served from July to September - that doesn't seem very urgent to me'.
SSE's lawyer said they were 'short of resources' and the judge responded: 'but you cannot have deemed him much of a threat because the papers sat on someone's desk for three months'.
The judge said he had read the papers and my statement and he found SSE's case 'fanciful to the point of paranoia'. He said 'Mr Acheson's evidence supports his account, and you have supplied no evidence to the contrary'.
The judge asked me if I would give an undertaking not to enter the power station or disrupt traffic, and I said: 'Just as I have been all along, that's no problem, I'll give that undertaking'. Then he turned to SSE and said: 'Is that good enough?' and they said: 'No it's not, he's a nuisance and we will pursue it through the County Court'.
If I had not been a member of a trade union I would have had no chance, and I would not have been able to challenge the distortions in the SSE court application. I urge all construction workers, any workers in fact, to join their trade unions."
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In The Socialist 28 October 2009:
Support post workers, this is no time to equivocate
Postal strike reports: Defending the service
Anti-racism
BBC Question Time panel - Workers' voice denied against BNP
BBC Griffin protest: Jobs and homes, not racism!
Far right shut out of Newport by mass protest
Socialism 2009
Socialism 2009 forum - can we build a party for working class people?
Youth fight for jobs
Cardiff Socialist Student elected
Anti-war
Tamil Solidarity fights for boat refugees
Socialist Party news and analysis
Darling you're talking rubbish!
Energy giant 'fanciful to the point of paranoia'
Marxist analysis
80th anniversary of the Wall Street Crash: Capitalist failure - then and now
Workplace news and analysis
Strikes sweep across Yorkshire
Leeds bin strike: 92% vote to reject council's 'final' offer
Battle for jobs in Land Registry
Ex Ford/Visteon pensioners protest in Swansea
Socialist Party feature
Call centres - public services on the cheap
Marxist analysis: history
Comment
Socialist Party reviews
Film review - Capitalism: a love story
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