Evening star., 1947-01-14
London Dockers
Vote 10 Join
Truck Strike
Meeting Ignores PIeo
Of Union Leaders to
Remain at Work
BY III. Asse:eio..d Press

ey fns Assoeiofed fress
LONDON, JAM. IA mass
meeting of London dock workers
voted today to join about 10000
union laborers in a walkout pro-
testing the use of troops to move
food supplies held up by a nine
day strike of London truck
drivers.
The decision, which may affect all
of London's $4,000 organized dock
workers, was reached at 40-min-
ute, noon-hour meeting attended by
between 1900 and 400 men who
ignored appeals of union leaders to
remain at work.
After the strike vote, two officials
of the powerful Transport and Cen
eral Workers Union, which was
headed by Ernest Bevin before he
became Foreign Secretary, mounted
an air-raid shelter to speak, but
their advice to return to work was
shouted down.
Walked Out Last Week.
The truck drivers walked out on
January 6 in protest against gov
ernment board award which did not
fully accede to their demands for
a 44-hour week, two weeks of paid
vacation, paid sick leave and over
time working changes.
J. Mclaughlin, one of the leaders
of the rank and file dockers' pro-
test, said the decision of the Lon
don steyedores would be telephoned
to the 10000 dock workers at Liver
pool.
A shouted Eyes" answered mass
meeting question: do you agree
that the road transport man can
not get a fair deal when they are
being blacklegged by troops?"
(Blackleg is the British term for
strikebreaker).
The number of dock workers to
quit could not be ascertained i'm
mediately. National membership of
the union, branch of the TGWU,
was estimated at $4,000.
New Council Set Up.
The dockers' decision coincided
with an announcement that union,
and government represent
atiyes had agreed on the constitu-
ton for a National Joint Industrial
Council to speed settlement of the
truck strike by short-circuiting a
Central Wages Board which has
been considering the drivers de-
nlands for nearly 10 months.
The British Press Association
labor correspondent reported that
such prompt action In establishing
the new machinery is likely
strongly to affect the position OF
the strikers, and there Is now def
nitely an optimistic feeling that the
delegate conference tomorrow will
decide on a return to work"
'The mems grievance about the
long, drawnout negotiations" he
added, will be met under the new
machinery"
Ministry of Labor officials have
specified the strikers demands can
not be considered until they return
to work.
1900 Stop Work.
At London's three royal docks
Victoria, Albert and King George v
it was estimated that about 1900
dockers and stevedores out of 10000
had stopped work.
I'VE are recommending our men,
bers to stay at work, and some are
doing that" an official of the steve
dores' union reported. 1.-THE strike
is unofficial, and our members are
realizing it. The full effect of the
decision will not be known until
tomorrow morning."
More than 1000 soldiers and 800
service vehicles, meanwhile, began
their second day of Juggling meat
and other food to retailers serving
10000, 900 inhabitants of the greater
London area.
With the soldiers taking over de-
livery duties, food in limited quanti-
ties began reappearing in London
shops that had been almost drained
of supplies during the work stoppage.
Emergency Meetings Held.
AS they worked, Labor Minister
George Isaacs and the official
leadership of the huge Transport &
General Workers Union-against
whose orders some $4,000 truck
drivers walked out-began series
of emergency meetings to hammer
out some plan for breaking the
deadlock.
The main idea was to bypass the
statutory Road Haulage Wages
Board, admittedly hamstrung by
legal technicalities, by setting up
the Joint Industrial Council" for
direct negotiation between strikers
and representatives Of hundreds Of
small employers.
Employers have insisted that the
new board not begin to function
until the men return to their jobs.
The governments decision to send
in troops to get food, and especially
meat, moving into the retail outlets
brought prompt reaction from
1000 workers in the wholesale food
markets. They walked out, too.
Won Popen to Be Tried