Dockers versus the Community It may be doubted if any
considerable strike since 1926 has been so mischievous and so completely unjustified as that which is holding up work in Merseyside, Tyneside, Manchester, Hull, London and all the greater English ports. The dockers, inflamed by agitators, have downed tools suddenly with equal disregard for their own trade union leaders and the welfare of the public, and are holding a pistol at the head of the community by threatening to stop the landing of essential food supplies. There is no acute dispute about wages generally. Distussions on that are proceeding through the normal channels. The whole thing—involving on Wednesday 35,000 men—
sprang from the demand of some 6o men at Birkenhead to be paid piece-time rates for unloading pit-props. The machinery for negotia- tion exists, but the men are completely ignoring it and disregarding the appeals of their union leaders. The agitators appear to have banked on the belief that they could extract from a Labour Government what they could not have got from any other Government. There they have . miscalculated. Mr. Isaacs, the Minister of Labour, has denounced their unconstitutional behaviour, and shown that the Government is determined to deal firmly with the situation. He has not concealed any of its gravity ; the food supplies of the nation are seriously en- dangered. To anti-social action such as the dockers have taken there should be no yielding ; their behaviour constitutes an attack on the community and admits of only one reply. If necessary, troops must be freely employed to unload cargoes of food. In such an emergency the Government, in resisting the shock-tactics of the dockers, will have all classes in the country solidly behind it. Let the men first return to work. Then there can be negotiations on wages. But the return to work must come first.
