U.K. faces major dock strike

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32976, 24 July 1972, Page 1

U.K. faces major dock strike

(N.Z.P. A. -Reuter—Copyright)

LONDON, July 22.

A total dock shut-down threatened Britain as the nation’s 42,000 port workers moved towards a direct confrontation with the State.

Anger over the gaoling of four unofficial London dock leaders—the first case under new British labour laws—appeared certain to bring calls for a complete stoppage starting on Monday.

Sympathy strikes loomed in other industries. Some 200 trade unionists picketed the London gaol where the dockers were being held. Industrial observers felt Britain was facing its most serious industrial crisis of recent times. The Liberal Party Leader, Mr Jeremy Thorpe, spoke of a possible general strike.

Engineers and Ford motor car workers were among those mentioned as planning protest strikes against the gaolings, ordered on Friday by an industrial court set up under the new laws. Hours later, the men were arrested while picketing a container depot and taken to prison amid catcalls and boos from sympathising dockers. A fifth dock leader, Mr Vic Turner, was arrested tonight and taken to join his four fellow leaders in prison. Earlier, police had failed to locate him.

The arrests were the latest act in dockland’s long story of discontent. In a contracting industry, dockers are fighting to save jobs as automation techniques, including containers, shtink the staff needed for cargo handling. The ’ndustrial court president, Sir John Donaldson, ruled that the five unofficial dock leaders had persistently flouted instructions and court orders calling on them to stop picketing container traffic.

Sir John Donaldson said the rule of law, backbone of what he called the British way of life, was at stake. But union leaders like Vic Feather, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (T.U.C.), said sending men to prison solved nothing. Mr Anthony Wedgwood Benn, a former Labour Government minister, said millions of people, whatever

they thought of the rights or wrongs, would in their hearts respect the men who preferred gaol to betraying their principles. British Government officials said contingency plans were ready to deal with a prolonged dock strike. They said supplies now were plentiful and plans would not go into effect immediately. The threat of a total stoppage came ironically as a high-level official committee prepared proposals for dockland peace to be published on Monday. London newspaper printers downed tools to protest against the gaoling of the dockers’ leaders and left many Britons without Sunday papers. Only two of the seven national papers—the “Sunday Times” and the “Observer” —managed to produce any editions in London. The “Sunday Times” printed the bulk of its 1,400,000 circulation. Production in Manchester, serving the north of the country, was normal.

The printers marched to join picketers at Pentonville Prison.