The Times, Tuesday, June 10th 1913
A NATIONAL STRIKE DECLARED.
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MINISTERS' PLAN REJECTED BY EMPLOYERS.
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FEDERATION IMPRACTICABLE.
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WORKERS' APPEAL TO THE PORTS.
A national strike of transport workers was decided upon last night. About 300,000 men employed in the ports of the United Kingdom are affected by this decision, and there is grave danger of a serious dislocation of the shipping trade of the country similar to that which was the central feature of the industrial troubles of 1911 and 1912. The trade union leaders do not expect that their recommendation of a general stoppage will take place immediately. They are looking for an early response to the call from the Bristol Channel Ports, the Humber and the North-East Coast. They expect the Mersey, the Clyde, the English Channel and the Irish ports to fall into line as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made locally. The Liverpool men have an agreement, the terms of which will presumably be observed as far as giving notice is concerned. The Scottish transport workers are understood to be lukewarm towards an extension of the London troubles to their country, and workers in other districts do not seem to be favourable to a national stoppage on a sectional issue. In Dublin and Belfast especially, other local differences seem likely to weigh heaviest, especially in light of the recent disturbances in Belfast and other Ulster ports. The immediate problem is, therefore, as to how far the sailors dockers, carters, and the rest will respond to the call. It is unlikely that there will be so unanimous and enthusiastic a response as there was in 1911, and there seems little prospect for the moment of an extension of the trouble to the railwaymen, who, of course, are not affiliated to the Transport Workers' Federation. A number of the more bellicose branches of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants have passed resolutions of sympathy with the London transport workers, and have threatened not to handle traffic diverted from the Port. The great mass of railwaymen, however, do not seem at the moment to be ready or willing to enter the lists with the transport workers as they have done in previous years. Still a strike of greater or less dimensions at every port in the kingdom is certain to take place immediately.
POSITION OF THE SEAMEN'S UNION
The most significant feature of the recent meetings of the Transport Workers' executive is that, though the provincial delegates are known to have come to London in a spirit hostile to the declaration of a national strike, they acquiesced in it when the grievances of the London men were placed before them. The leaders, therefore, in every port will undoubtedly recommend their members to comply with the decision of the executive. They have, however, at the start to reckon with the attitude of the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union. This body, on hearing of the declaration of the strike, issued late last night a manifesto, stating that none of their members was authorized to comply with the decision of the Transport Workers' Federation until one of their rules, necessitating a ballot of the union, had been put into effect.
The declaration of a national strike was made at a meeting of the national executive of the Transport Workers' Federation, held in a Committee-room of the House of Commons last night. A crisis in the London dock dispute had been reached in the course of the day, and upon the breakdown of the negotiations which had been initiated by the Government between masters and men, the transport workers carried out their threat of taking national action in support of their demands. Shortly before 9 o'clock the following telegram was sent to every centre in the country:-
Employers point blank refuse to accept proposals for settlement. National executive recommends general stoppage at once.
POSITION OF THE EMPLOYERS.
Representatives of various groups of masters had met in the morning to consider the Government's scheme to end the deadlock in the Port of London – the creation of a Joint Board representing both parties, and the deposit of monetary guarantees to guard against the breaking of agreement by either side. The meetings in the main found the former proposal impracticable and the latter reasonable. It is understood however that in most cases the view was strongly expressed that the displacement of men who are now working by the reinstatement of strikers in their old positions – a point strongly pressed by the trade union leaders – could not be conceded. The various groups met jointly in the afternoon and came to similar conclusions, special stress being laid on the impracticability of federating efficiently the employers in the transport trade. The Port of London Authority also held a meeting and decided to decline the proposals of the Government. The representatives of the various interests accordingly proceeded to Westminster and explained their position to the Government, who were represented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Buxton, Mr McKenna, Mr Burns, Mr McKinnon-Wood, Lord Beauchamp, and the Attorney-General. Sir George Askwith was also present. When the employers had indicated their attitude – according to an official statement issued last night – Lord Devonport, in answer to a question by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, stated that the employers had no further counter-proposals to make. They were unable to agree on the principle underlying the Government's proposals.
The representatives of the men, who had been waiting at the House of Commons for some time, met the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the other Ministers after the conference with the employers, and the latters' reply was communicated to them. The National Executive of the Transport Workers' Federation met immediately afterwards in a Committee Room of the House and came to their decision to recommend a national stoppage. They further drew up a manifesto explaining the nature of their grievance, and asking their fellow trade unionists for immediate aid in money and kind.
STRENGTH OF THE FEDERATION.
Apart from London the strength of the Federation lies principally in Liverpool and Hull. The following is a full list of the unions affiliated to the Federation, together with an estimate of the membership given at the Headquarters of the Federation: –
[list elided]
STRIKE LEADERS' MANIFESTO.
The following manifesto is being issued to the transport workers at all the ports : –
Brothers, – After protracted efforts to prevent the dispute and prolonged efforts to stay the present one we have reached a deadlock. The employers have refused (a) to recognise the right of the transport workers as trade unionists; (b) they have refused to act as a responsible body of employers to observe agreements; (c) they have refused to recognize the legal bond of contract and agreement or the Government's offer of a Court to enforce terms of settlement; (d) they depend upon the use of brutal weapons of starvation and intimidation, police and military repression, and now threaten private armies, to beat us; (e) We have had agreements, awards, and legal judgements thrown aside; (f) we have had our wages filched to a very large sum covering the period since our settlement.
We now ask you, our fellow transport workers, to join at once in co-operation with us in a national effort to protect our right of organization. To our fellow trade unionists and labour sympathizers and friends of justice in the national traditions of freedom we appeal for assistance. We ask your immediate aid in money and kind assistance, also in housing, and feeding the children. We request your immediate assistance.
A WARNING TO SEAMEN.
The following manifesto is being issued to all members of the National Sailors' and Firemens' Union: –
Be it known that no member of the above union is authorised to comply with the manifesto of the National Transport Workers' Federation, calling a general national strike, until Rule 13 of the National Sailors' and Firemens' Union has been carried into effect. By this rule the executive has – (a) to state the circumstances of the dispute to the branches of the union; (b) take the vote of all the members at home and willing to vote; (c) the voting must be by ballot, and be open for four successive days; (d) the votes must be sent up to the Executive Council.
“Without the consent of a majority of members ashore at the time, no general strike shall be proclaimed” (Rule 13, section 2)
The notice is signed by Father Hopkins and Mr. Richard McGhee (trustees), and Mr. Peter Wright (chairman of the Executive Council).
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THE PROTECTION OF WORKERS
PROTESTS AGAINST MR. McKENNA'S POLICY
Many bodies of employers have sent protests to the Prime Minister against the Home Secretary's attitude with regard to the protection of free labour. The Shipping Federation has sent the following message:–
The Shipping Federation Federation protests against the refusal of the Home Secretary to provide protection for men carrying on work during the strike, from attacks by strikers, which refusal amounts to encouragement by the Government of lawless interference with the fundamental rights of citizenship and threatens to subvert the basis of industry.
Similar telegrams came from the Shipbuilding Employers' Federation, the Farmers' Federation, the Scottish Employers' Federation of Iron and Steel Founders, and the Potters' Federation.
HOME SECRETARY'S STATEMENT.
In reply to the various protests from Employers, Mr McKenna has circulated the following statement: –
The representations which I earlier mentioned as having reached me were made verbally and no record of them has been kept. The communication with the Chief Constable of Essex were entirely by telephone. He reported that he anticipated a demonstration by strikers from Grays and Tilbury against Messrs. Houlder's boat the American Transport, unloading timber with labour imported from Newport, at Purfleet, and he asked that troops or Metropolitan Police should be sent. In reply he was reminded that the responsibility for requisitioning troops rests with the magistrates, and later, after the Commissioner of Police had been consulted, he was informed that 100 foot police and 25 mounted police could be sent in the afternoon, but with notice in the following terms: – “Special protection is in the present circumstances to be given by the Metropolitan Police only (1) for the food supply; (2) guarding oil stores; (3) to deal with actual disturbances which have arisen, whatever the circumstances. If they are not required for these purposes, they cannot be spared from London, where there services are more urgently needed.” The Chief Constable replied that with the above limitations, he did not wish the Metropolitan Police to be sent.
STATEMENT FROM CIVILIAN FORCE
The secretary of the Civilian Force, Mr Blenkinsopp has also been in communication with the Home Secretary and with the Shipping Federation as follows : –
The Grand Council considers the threat posed to the well being of the Kingdom by the present dispute to be extremely serious, following as it does on similar events in the past two years. I am instructed therefore to place the entire resources of the Civilian Force in support of the Government or employers and any law-abiding member of the community wishing to remain at work.
Mr McKenna has made no statement on this suggestion. Mr Brett, the secretary of the Shipping Federation said that individual ship owners had been made use of volunteers from the Civilian Force already, both to protect workers and to supplement labour on the dockside. Mr Brett denied the statement that members of the Civilian Force had been armed by the Federation with revolvers. “As far as we are concerned,” he said, “we have not provided them with any weapons at all.”