THE STRIKE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 243, 14 October 1925, Page 6

THE STRIKE.

The seamen's strike has been "called off" by the striking union in England, and we may presume that this admission of defeat will speedily have an effect on the strikers in New Zealand and Australia. The end seems to be at hand, therefore, of one of the greatest blunders in the history of strikes. The word "blunder," however, has a limited application. The blundering was done by the rank and file of strikers. There were men involved in the movement who acted from deliberate policy. They will not be deterred by the suffering of their dupes from trying to do the same thing again when they get the chance. For the sailors themselves one cannot help feeling sorry. The wage against which they struck is a poor one. They made two mistakes. They did not consider the foreign competition the ship-> owner has to meet, and they repudiated an agreement made by their accredited representatives. The point at issue was not wages but tlie principle of collective bargaining. The strikers have lost their wages, and many of them will lose their jobs. It remains to be seen what will be the effect of the strike and its failure on-the future of the rival unions. The Marine Workers' Union may be bankrupted, and Mr. Havelock Wilson's organisation may emerge more powerful than ever. A man who has devoted his life to the cause of the seamen deserves confidence more than does the tailor who is president of the Marine Workers' Union. We hope, however, that the shipping ', companies will be merciful in the hour of victory, and that they will not let the strike influence them against an . increase in wages when conditions improve. Wisdom in victory may avert I another war.