The daily worker., 1924-05-03

Mail. MIR. Tom Shaw, the second IN
ternational leader and minister of
Labor in His Britanic Majesty's Gov
ernment, is having bad luck. 1t seems
to be Of no avail that our labor lead
ers don't want strikes. The workers
have apparently made up their minds
that whether their leaders like it or
not they are going to get bit of their
own back. Ever since 1921 they have
had reduction after reduction in wages
and have been exceedingly patient
about them. They have been told that
things are on the mend, and it is true
that there are less unemployed than
there were few months ago. So now
for getting back some of the goods
that have been stolen from them.
When the Loco men challenged reduc-
tions with strike and then the Dock
ers forced the pace and won conces-
sions, real tonic was administered
to the whole movement and a wages
offensive is in full swing This time
the workers are taking the initiative.
Exciting Events.
On Friday at midnight the 21st of
March, 10000 tram and bus men
struck work. That is terrific blow
in London where transport is key
industry. The first effects of the strike
even at this time of night were ex-
citing. Hundreds Of hotel workers and
market workers had to walk from the
center of the city away into the sub
urbs. Crowds of people who had
counted on a last minute settlement
were stranded, and rushed for the
tubes. Here the congestion was so
great that the police had to be called
upon to regulate the traffic. If the
tubes join in the strike then London
is in fix with a vengeance. AS per
usual the officials are trying to con-
fine action to simply section, but
whether the tube workers can stand
the extra traffic which will inevitably
be thrust upon them, and blackleg
traffic at that, remains to be seen.
They are not in the Transport and
General Workers Union which is con-
Quoting the strike under the leader
ship Of Bevin, but are partly in the
National Union Of Railwaymen and
partly in the Locomotive and Firemen.
There is working agreement be-
tween the latter union and the Trans
port Unions and it only requires the
word from the officials and the strike
can become general thruout London
transport.
The Electrical Trades Union also
threatened that any attempt to intro
duce blackleg labor will be met by
the cutting off of electric power thru
out London.
Labor Government.
The strike arises from the demand
of the union for an increase of 81 per
week for tram drivers and conductors,
made as far back as six months ago.
The demands of the men have never
been rejected on their merits. They
have always met with postponement
and equivocation. Only when the men
decide to strike the employers call for
arbitration and forget their own re-
fusal to put into operation the find
ings Of previous court Of inquiry in
1921. All the governments from that
date have been warned as to what
situation was developing, but none
took any action until faced with the
strike. There are, of course, quite a
number of authorities involved, viz:
The London Courty Council, number
of Local Councils and private COM
panies. The private companies have
refused to concede anything. The Lon
don County Council is willing to con-
cede 81 and some Of the other Coun-
ellis 2I-. The councils are asking for
arbitration, but the companies refuse
it and the unions don't want it. The
government is in a dilemma. 1t has
utterly failed before the strike to
achieve anything which would avert
a strike. and it certainly doesn't like
the idea of the sympathetic strike ex-
tending. The bus drivers and con:
Innto~o orn of~sHfnor xr,fkt. 4I,~ 49,.