Dockers Determined To Continue Strike Action

Northern Advocate, 18 July 1949, Page 5

Dockers Determined To Continue Strike Action

LONDON, Sun. (11.30 a.m.). —London dockers were all anxious to work but they would not work “black” ships and were determined to continue the struggle, no matter what the sacrifice, said Mr E. Thomas, of the dockers' lockout committee, when 10,000 people packed Trafalgar Square today to hear protest speeches at a mass meeting of strikers.

About 1700 of the 14,638 men in the dispute marched to the square. Among them were striking Canadian seamen from the Beaverbrae and Argomont, the two ships which the dockers refused to unload. Mr Thomas said that the men might be turned to an "angry and ugly mood." Mr John PlatVs-Mills. Independent Labour member of Parliament, said: "I challenge the Government with not wanting to solve this dispute. “Even I could settle it in 10 minutes.” A member of the strike committee of the Canadian Seamen's Union issued cn behalf of the Canadian strikers a statement that they were ready to meet the Canadian shipowners immediately in an attempt to settle file dispute. ii representative committee uf 700

drivers and transport workers at Spittalfields market, decided today, after hearing the case put by the Canadian seamen and dockers, to carry on handling fruit and vegetables being unloaded at London docks by troops. The meeting was addressed by Canadian seamen and two dockers: After the meeting a spokesman for the drivers said: “We stand by the country and Government. •■'Our attitude is that if we refuse to handle food unloaded by troops, then we and our wives and children have no right to eat it.” Avonmouth dockers who recently struck for five weeks against handling ships manned by striking Canadian seamen, refused to support the London strike. The secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union appealed today to all dockers to return to work.