The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-11 00:00:00

THE BUILDERS' STRIKE.

The trades unions connected with the masons,
bricklayers, and plasterers now out on strike have
decided, in the face of every argument and expostu-
lation to the contrary, to continue firm in their
determination not to return to duty till the masters
concede the nine hours' work with ten hours' pay.
Yet, in spite of this decision, we are very glad to
think that virtually the strike is at an end, as the
men, in fact, are beginning to assert their indepen-
dence of the unions, and are already day by day
returning to work. During last week several trades
meetings were held, at which it was evident, from
the manner in which numbers of the men spoke in
favour of accepting the present liberal terms offered
to them, and taking the half-holiday which was
given to them for nothing, that they were averse to
continuing the contest longer. On Friday night a
very large meeting was held, and from the proceed-
ings there it was evident that the leading agitators
in the trades unions had taken steps to prevent the
expression of opinions adverse to their own particu-
lar views. Any workman who rose to propose that
the trade should close with the high terms now
offered them by Messrs. Lucas and Kelk was, we
are informed, at once coughed and hooted down. A
mason who wished to explain the reasons why he and
45 more of his fellow-workmen would not continue
the strike was not allowed to say a word, so continued
were the noises and interruptions. The upshot of
the whole affair wail that the resolution in favour
of continuing the strike for nine hours' work and
ten hours' pay was eventually carried, and a large
number of the men previously stanch unionists
left thoroughly disguEtedwith the whole procedings.
During Monday and yesterday a great many of
these men returned to work at Messrs. Lucas and
Kelk's and the other contractors, where they had
been on strike. Messrs. Lucas have now four-fifths
of the hands they require, and applications daily
come in from mechanics of all trades and from all
parts of the country for engagements under the
hour system of payment. In fact, the men now at
work under payment by the hour system—which,
of cuurse, if they do not choose to take the half-
holyday, enables them to earn more—now assert
that they would strike against any return to the
old system of weekly wages. So numerous, indeed,
are the applicants from the country that Messrs.
Lucas and Kelk could at once take up their full
compement of men, enough even to go on with the
works at the Exhibition. They are averse, how-
ever, when tne building trade is so depressed, to
depress it still further by the introduction of addi-
tional workmen into the metropolis, as they feel
convinced that before a week is out all their old
hands who are worth employing will have returned
to their labour. Since this change has taken place
in the opinions of the men the number of pickets
stationed round Messrs. Lucas's works and Messrs.
Kelk's, but more especially the former, have in-
creased tenfold. During part of yesterday and
to-day there were at one time between 200 and
300, who, as the men issued from the yard to'
their dinner, saluted them with yells and hoot-
ings, following them a considerable distance down
the streets. Upon this the men remonstrated with
Messrs. Lucas's foremen, and said they ought to be
protected from such outrageous insult and annoy-
ance. This request Messrs. Lucas at once ap-
proved, and procured the assistance of the police
to protect the men while going to and from the
works, and in every case where an attempt at in-
timidation or annoyance can be proved they have
determined upon prosecuting the offenders to the
utmost. The chief argument which the pickets use
with the working men is, that they had better go
when the Union can get them permanent employ-
ment elsewhere, for that if they—the old hands—
choose to return, all those who have lately come in
will be dismissed at once. Now, in this matter,
those on strike are sadly deceiving themselves, for
Messrs. Lucas and others have, with the concur.
rence of the whole trade, decided that if the strike
lasts for a twelvemonth they will not dismiss a
single man, unionist or not, who has come to their
assistance in their struggle. Another important
point in which the Unions are deceiving the la-
bourers is in the continual assurances they are
giving that the four great firms frpm which the
men have struck are themselves undecided as to
enforcing the system of payment by the hour. On
this matter we can most solemnly assure the men
that not the least uncertainty prevails. Whatever
happens, their employers are determined to pay the
increased scale of wages, but to pay by the hour
only. If it could have been possible that there
was ever any doubt about carrying out an
arrangement which at once sets at rest the
question of the nine hours' movement, and
allows every man to work as much or as
little as he pleases, it would have been removed
long since by the hundreds of letters received from
bodies of working men, all imploring Messrs. Lucas
to stand fast to the scheme of hourly payment, and
expressing their willingness, under such an arrange-
ment, to work any time they chose. Fortunately,
these offers are so numerous that there is no longer
any necessity for resorting to the plan of getting
workmen from abroad. Twenty thousand might
be got in England in a week without difficulty.
Thos, in spite of the mischievous influence of the
trades unions, the men themselves have averted an
evil which would have proved the ruin of theircalling
for
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Show.
'Ter: large portion of the proposed Inter-