U.K. DOCKS STRIKE Emergency Move Expected Today

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32351, 17 July 1970, Page 13

U.K. DOCKS STRIKE Emergency Move Expected Today

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

LONDON, July 16. The British Government is expected to declare a state of emergency today to cope with the country’s first national dock strike in 44 years.

The declaration, which could allow troops to move essential food and raw materials to keep industry going, is likely to be announced after a Cabinet meeting this morning.

Talks aimed at ending the strike by 47,000 dockers ended in deadlock last night and, for the first time since the General Strike of 1926, every port is at a standstill. Many observers predict that the strike will last up to five weeks. The'last time a state of emergency was declared in Britain was in the middle of the 1966 seamen’s strike, which lasted 46 day’s. A long dock strike could wreck the country’s greatlyimproved balance of payments position, now in surplus for the first time in years, as well as hamper her Common Market negotiations. Delegates representing *the 47,000 stevedores decided yesterday by a slender majority to reject a pay offer by their employers and called on the dockers to stop work immediately. The employers’ slightlyimproved offer was put to the union representatives with a plea by their leader, Mr Jack Jones, that they should accept It as a basis for further negotiations. After some heated exchanges, Mr Jones’s plea was rejected by 43 votes to 39 Plea To Housewives Britain’s housewives were asked by food suppliers last night not to go out on “panicbuying sprees” to stock up their larders because of the docks strike.

Although Britain imports more than half of her food requirements, stocks in shops, warehouses and in cold storage are believed to be sufficient to last for several weeks 1

before there is any question of a serious shortage. There is believed to be sufficient meat already in Britain to last for more than a month and, in any case, home farmers supply more than half the nation's requirements. But meat prices are expected to rise. There is enough butter for two months and cheese for five months, but if container traffic is stopped replenishments of butter stocks may be in jeopardy. The first food stocks likely to be hit are oranges, lemons, grapefruit, bananas, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers. These are not suitable for storage, and supplies normally go straight from the docks to the shops. Industry Hit Today, works managers in industry are working on plans for keeping their production lines going.

The State-owned British Steel Corporation said that it had sufficient iron ore stocks for 40 working days, but nickel, which was heavily run down during the recent Canadian nickel miners’ strike, would last for only 10 to 14 days Imperial Chemical Industries, the country’s largest industrial complex, does not expect any import supply problems for two or three weeks.

In any case, its main imports, crude oil and potash, are landed at private docks unaffected by the strike. Most of the oil companies, too, have their own private ocean terminals.

But firms exporting in a big way are not so happy. The heavy industries are mostly around the Midlands, and car manufacturers, in particular, are expecting to 1 lose exports worth £Bm a day.

The largest group, British Leyland, is planning to stockpile thousands of cars and trucks until the export sea lanes are reopened.

Leakage Allegation A spokesman for the Board of Trade said yesterday that it was holding an inquiry into allegations in the City that there might have been a leak in the usual secrecy surrounding the publication of Britain’s monthly trade figures. Before the June figures were announced, dealers say that rumours were prevalent in the City that there would be a deficit on the visible account of about £4om. The figures showed a deficit of £slm, compared with £37m for May. A spokesman for the London Stock Exchange said he had no knowledge of any formal complaint having been made to the Stock Exchange Council.