On Understanding Dockers
By SIR ROBERT HYDE* S. IR JOHN ANDERSON, chairman of the Port of London Authority, is quoted as having said recently that a modem and efficient grain-elevator was lying idle in the Port of London because the corn-porters complained that it worked too fast. He also said that ' the situation is reminiscent of the Luddites . . . who wrecked machines because they feared for their jobs." But the Luddites began their campaign of machine- smashing in 1811, when more than half the population of the country was illiterate, means of moving from the accustomed place of work restricted, and workers' organisations almost un- known. How comes it that a body of men, having enjoyed the benefits of education and universal suffrage, the protection of their trade unions, guaranteed employment, the abolition of casual labour, and a limited register of dockers, can act-in this irresponsible way in the face of existing national need ?
The question is easier to pose than to answer, or it may be that the answer is being sought in present happenings rather than in far-off, deep-rooted customs, antagonisms and fears. My own link with the London riverside docks and wharves began very nearly sixty years ago when, as a small boy, my very first job was to fetch from what was then known as Cotton's Wharf, in Tooley Street, six three-and-a-half pound samples of currants. I well remember watching at the dock gates groups of half- famished, frenzied men fighting to catch the foreman's eye as he picked out his gangs for unloading. Since many of them were half-starved and forced to canon their heads (plus a heavy hod) cases of oranges, each containing four hundred and twenty fruits, or two barrels of Almerian grapes, it was no uncommon thing for them to collapse and to be side-stepped with a " Poor devil " by mates unable to help, for they too were similarly loaded. That, common to other ports, was the soil out of which sprang such sturdy leaders as Jimmy Sexton, Tom Mann, Ben Tillett and Ernest Bevin. Such were the conditions still remem- bered in bitterness and enshrouded in " solidarity."
What one may call the mechanics and the economics of the industry have now been organised by the National Dock Labour Board. Casual labour is a thing of the past ; a real measure of security is obtained, and a register of dockers compiled. A beginning, tardy maybe, has been made in the task of bringing amenities into line with standards accepted by many, and far exceeded by some, other industries.
Whilst the old system of engagement of men by the employer's representative at the dock-gate had many bad features, there was a rough-and-ready method of selection of the more efficient or more suitable men for the particular job in hand ; an element of give-and-take and some freedom of choice. Now much of that has gone, and human frailty leads men to recall the good and forget the bad. There are today gangs of highly skilled and efficient workers proud of such titles as the " Kings of the River," the " flying Eighteen," who would find comparatively regular and well-paid work, Dock Board or no Dock Board, free to follow the ships, employers, cargoes of their choice, and to take time off as they pleased. So, too, was there a more intimate relationship with the employer, a known and recognisable creature of flesh and blood, and if that relationship was not always harmonious, at least it was real ; with him, the men could drive a hard bargain, come to terms, and fight when negotiations broke down. Now the freedoms have gone, intimate ties have been broken, and, human nature being what it is, the value of the security now enjoyed is forgotten. The employers argue that, since they now have no powers of discipline, this, too, has had the effect of destroying any sense of association. Whilst a per- centage of men—the ' Permanents " and " Preference Men "- follow follow the same employer, the majority have little sense of attachment to, or association with, any particular place, employer or gang.
• Founder and late Director. Industrial Welfare Society.
In the same way the trade unions do not command the same feelings of loyalty and attachment as in the old days, when men were welded together in a fierce struggle for an adequate wage. Branch life brought to the members a sense of comradeship, relief from the irritations of domestic life. The banner stood as a symbol of unity ; leaders were personalities known and revered by the rank and file. Now the union leaders and officials seem to be remote ; other interests occupy the evening hours that once were devoted to branch life ; improved means of transport enable the docker to live further afield, though not to the extent commonly believed, and " real strikes " are things of the past.
Another deeper difficulty exists, and there is no easy way of dealing with it. Under the joint control by which the dock industry today is governed, the trade-union leaders share responsibility for discipline, but the rank and file cannot yet understand how it is that one day their trade-union official can act as advocate and the next day a lay member of the union as judge. This is putting the matter so briefly as to risk being charged with crudity, but this dual function is the cause of much perplexity. Education, experience and a willingness to under- stand seem to be the most hopeful and long-term remedies ; but it is not only in the dock industry that men have yet to learn that in any human group engaged in mutual activity there must be discipline, an-acknowledged line of authority, and an accepted code of conduct.
Space prevents more than passing reference to other influences of which some, though by no means all, are peculiar or more potent in the dock industry. There is a regrettable and long- standing dispute between the Transport and General Workers' Union and the National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers' Union. Irregular work, due to tides, delays and seasons, causes irritation and wasted time ; calls for unexpected overtime lead to social and domestic stresses. The system of " spot " settle- ments which encourages hard bargaining and, above all, loyalty to a vaguely expressed idea of " solidarity," leading to social ostracism of those who hesitate to follow the custom, when strike action begins, of " One out, all out."
Thus it may be appreciated that there is no short answer to the questions with which this brief survey began, but the situation is not without hope. Dockers are very much like any other group of human beings, but are more readily exposed to criticism when they stop working, for what may appear to be inadequate causes, because such action has an immediate and harmful effect upon the community. Often the stable members of the industry, and they are in' the majority, follow an unwise lead, lest they should expose themselves to the bitter, taunting tongues of the less responsible elements ; but they are beginning to agree that, as one of them said recently, " We have lost more through un- official strikes than we have ever gained from the scheme."
The dock industry, partly because of its importance in the economic structure of the nation, partly on account of its unhappy history and present perplexities, lends itself to the machinations of disruptive elements, but this is nothing new in our national life. A recent enquiry uncovered many of the difficulties, grievances and shortcomings in the industry. The responsibility for facing and finding ways of removing them rests squarely upon men of goodwill on both sides of the industry, for none is wholly free from blame. There is urgent need to blot out long and bitter memories of days long past—and destined never to return. Steps should be taken to foster some feeling of attachment to smaller, more intimate, personal groups than exist at present and to restore to those groups some " common measure. Fundament- ally, there is no reason why this change of outlook should not be brought about, since it has been accomplished already in many other industries. Some months ago Sir John Anderson spoke wise words when dealing with the resistence of workers to the introduction of mechanical handling : " It is no use getting impatient about this matter. Be content to move slowly as long as we move in the right direction. The changes we would all desire are bound to come."
Such' words could, with advantage, be more widely applied.
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