Grave Injury Caused By Misguided Loyalty

Northern Advocate, 14 July 1949, Page 5

Grave Injury Caused By Misguided Loyalty

LONDON DOCK STRIKE

LONDON, Wed. (1 p.m.).—The situation caused by the dock strike was such as to injure gravely Britain’s economy at a critical period of its .history, Mr Attlee said in the House of Commons today.

He was moving a resolution thanking the King for his message on the proclamation of a statu of emergency.

Tie said the dockers’ sense of loyalty to th,eir fellow workers was misguided in this case, and was being unscrupulously exploited. The strike was contrary to the decisions of two responsible

unions. He had been advised by the president of the Trades and Labour Congress in Canada that the strike of the Canadian Seamen's Union was not recognised by the Trades and Labour Congress in Canada. Mr Attlee said that if the two Canadian ships at London docks had been unloaded by troops . as a means of avoiding trouble, it would have been an acceptance of the claim by the unofficial strike leaders that they were to decide what ships should be worked. USED AS TOOLS Dock workers were being used as tools for reasons that had nothing to do with them, their relations with their employers, their pay, working hours or conditions.

“The cause of this trouble lies outside this Country,” he said. “There is no dispute between the employers and employed.

“The Canadian seamen want to go home.

“Let the dock workers discharge the cargoes, get to • work and cease to allow themselves to be dragged, for ulterior motives, into a quarrel which is none of theirs.” Mr Anthony Eden, deputy Leader of the Opposition, said the Government must have the powers sought under the proclamation. He could not acquit the Government of all blame.

“If we want chaos, all we have to do is to sit back and let the Chancellor of the Exchequer go ahead," he said. The Bishop of Winchester (Dr Mervyn Haigh), after referring at the Winchester Diocesan Conference to the “confusion and strife which the Communists are fomenting. 1 ” added: , "We are all aware of what is happening in Australia and there remains the grim threat in the London docks to this country’s food supplies and trade. “In war, spies and fifth columnists cannot be tolerated, and in such a state of cold war as unhappily exists today, enemy agents must be more boldly controlled.” 14,000 ON STRIKE Mr Attlee has received a cable from the Canadian Seamen’s Union, asking him to intervene in the dock strike, and stating the conditions on which the union would end the strike. It is understood that Mr Attle will not reply to the cable, but will pass it on to the appropriate department. The National Dock Labour Board stated this afternoon that there were 13,904 men on strike.

Loss of authority of trade union leaders over the men showed there must have been a failure to explain fully or repeatedly the issues to the men in the early stages by the leaders and Minister for Labour (Mr Isaacs), who had given the impression of a well-intentioned naan, panting along too many laps behind. “IF YOU WANT CHAOS”

Two thousand troops and 400 Navy men were again at work on the docks today. Two thousand more are expected to arrive in London tomorrow to be ready for duty at short notice. COMMUNIST ORGANISATION

The Communist member (Mr Gallacher) described the emergency proposals as a displace. He denied that the strike was a Communist conspiracy and that the Communists wanted- chaos,

Mr Robert Mellis, who represents a dockland constituency and who, with three other Labour members, urged the Home Secretary to refer the dispute to the Secret Service, told the House of Commons that the Tories, with all their millions, had nothing on the Communist Party when it came to organisation. He said the strike was being run by a Canadian Communist-paid agitator. who took command the moment he landed. Within two days 200 homes, all of them held by Communists, wers availto sulking scameu.