Industrial Guerillas
In February this year the Electrical Trade Union forwarded a demand on behalf of the 40,000 of its members engaged in electrical contracting for a wage increase (something like 2d. an hour seems to have been in question). After abortive negotiations, the employers wrote a letter in June saying that they could see no grounds for granting the claim, that they were not prepared to discuss the question of an increase any further, though they were prepared, if the Union wished, to discuss the reasons for their refusal. On July 23rd the Union sent an ultimatum to the employers demanding a tangible offer on fain of strike action. No tangible or any other offer was forthcoming, so the way was open for the *E.T.U. to call a strike in the contracting industry. Within two days of the first 2,000 men coming out, the employers and the Union leaders have reached an agreement to start negotiations. By French standards, the incident has been a mere hors d'oeuvre. But it has, for all that, two quite solemn aspects. The first is the behaviour of the employers. By an attitude which can only suggest that they have not caught up with the times, the National Federated Electrical Association allowed the Union to appear in the right when it was undoubtedly in the wrong; for at any point in the last six months, the claim could have been referred to arbitration. This is not the way to deal with modern labour, let alone with labour organised by Communists. The second point lies in the behaviour of the Union, which is Communist-led. " Guerilla " was the word used to describe the technique which involved a call-out at a few key .places (most of them connected with the arms industry),and a threat to extend it to a few more key places if no satisfaction was forthcoming. But this shows an economy, an efficiency, and a degree of organisation by Communist labour in Britain which should give the Government as much as the employers food for thought. Next time, it might be the power stations.
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