The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-02-18
DOCK STRIKE
IN ENGLAND
HALTS FOOD
Mcdonald Government Seeks
Compromise in Struggle
Special to The Daily Worker,

LONDON, Feb. 17.-More
than 100000 dock and trans
port workers are out on strike
all over England and the pros
poets are they will continue on
strike for some time. The
strike of the dock workers ties
up the food supply of the ma
ton, as most of Britain's food
is imported.
Negotiations between the
employers and workers under
the direction of Tom Shaw,
minister of labor, have failed
to bring any prospect of an i'm
mediate settlement.
Aided By Rail Workers.
The National Union of Railway
men have expressed their intention
Of rendering the transport workers
every possible assistance" during
the strike.
They will refuse to handle any
shipments that have been unloaded
by scab dock workers. In the event
1t becomes necessary they will go out
on strike to help the lockers.
The n. U. r. only recently were
on strike themselves tying up the en-
tire railroad system Of England.
Revive Triple Alliance.
The transport workers and the Ma
tional Union of Railwaymen were
both members of the Triple Alliance,
which included the miners, and was
broken up during the last miners
strike.
The decision to strike was reached
by the dock workers on Jan. 29th, at
the very moment the railway work.
ers were reaching a settlement with
the government and the railroads.
Since then negotiations have been
going on constantly looking to set
Element, but the bosses would not
consider the demands of the men and
so the strike order was issued.
Wages Cut Since War.
The workers are demanding an in
crease of two shillings day, and the
guarantee of full weeks work. Be
fore the strike the men were getting
10 shillings in the larger ports and
9 shillings day in the smaller ports.
Since the war TIE lockers have had
their wages cut several times.
The shipping interests have been
making enormous profits ever since
the declaration of war and they are
generally referred to as "the spoiled
darlings of the war"
Food Pro6teers Busy.
Already dealers in foodstuffs have
begun holding out to wait for an in
crease in prices. Since the supply of
stored food is small the spectators
are grave menace to the public.
No disorders have been reported.
All ports report that there is COM
plete tieup. In Liverpool, which
handles one-third of the nations
shipping, there is no activity at all
in the port. Shipments of coal from
Newcastle are at standsill. Eighty
ships are held at Hull by the strike
and sixty at Glasgow.
No Substitute for Workers.
The dock workers strike is gener-
ally considered more serious than the
strike Of the railwaymen was. The
lockers handle nearly all the nations
food supply and there is no way of
unloading ships while the lockers
strike. The government could move
food by motor transport during the
L A Il. L -
for dock laborers exists.
There is no indication Of just
when the National Union of Rail
waymen will strike or if they will
strike TO help the lockers.
Government Works for Compromise.
The government is working hard
to get the dock workers to accept a
compromise. So far they have not
been successful.
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