Guineveretoo
Mostly bewildered
It always throws me when someone bumps an old thread, not least because I then get an email telling me about said bumpage, even though I don't remember said thread!
Which strikes have gone down in history?
- Thread starter Tokyo
- Start date
october_lost
It's not hip any more...
There are Solidarity articles on libcom. This looks interesting http://libcom.org/library/so-near-so-far-selective-history-british-miners
1951 Wharfies lockout in NZ,Dublin lockout 1913,Blackball strike for a lunch hour 1908(Blackball was the start of organised resistance in NZ and the Labour party such as it is).I could go on with examples from all over the world where strikers put their lives on the line for things a lot of people now look on as nothing important.
nogojones
spelling is overrated
Had a quick look and found this one from a participant.
http://www.socialist.net/lessons-of-the-1980-steel-strike.htm
I was an ISTC steward for 10 years, but long after the strike. My experience was pretty depressing. At mill level the union was pretty demoralised and any attempt at action was jumped on by the full-timers. they would sign deals with management at xmas or stop fortnight, knowing no one would be about to complain. Stewards who didn't agree, weren't told where or when meetings would be and if extra-ordinary meetings were called by members, the ringleaders would normally get done on trumped up disaciplinaries by management, with no backing from the union. The graffiti in the mill was ISTC I'm Scared To Complain.
At a national level this was shown by the ISTC being the only trade union to vote for Blair to be labour leader - the members weren't asked.
This resulted in sabotage being the only option left for the shop floor. If we were pissed off, the mill would stop and stay stopped
edit - forgot the link
Steel Icarus
an attempt was made
Thanks, nogojones & october_lost 
Lo Siento.
Second As Farce
Longbridge didn't have too many all out strikes, possibly because the Convenor up to 1974 (Dick Etheridge) refused to call any mass meetings after losing one back in the 1950s, and his successor (Robinson) was a keen advocate of Workers' Participation who welcomed Edwardes with open arms. Didn't help him in the end though...
None of those 523 walk-outs were "caused" by Red Robbo, whatever the BBC says, and most of them were small sectional "downers" which would've lasted less than 4 hours.
Cowley had the more dramatic set-pieces, like the '74 strike over Alan Thornett being derecognised as Deputy Convenor
Magnet workers:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/82712.stm
Britain's longest-running dispute has ended with workers at the Magnet company voting to accept a financial settlement.
All of them were sacked by Magnet nearly three years ago and until now have refused offers of a financial settlement put forward.
The dispute began in August 1996 when 320 workers were sacked after demanding a pay increase at the factory in Darlington - after a four-year pay freeze.
Magnet offered them a 3% pay rise, but only to half the workforce. An official strike was called and strikers were promptly sacked.
A new workforce has since been brought in, but the picket line campaign for reinstatement continues.
Workers have now agreed to accept Magnet's latest offer of a one-off payment of about £850,000, which amounts to about £2,500 per person. However, some would receive as little as £250, and others up to £8,500.
This is an improved offer - in January they were offered roughly £1000 each to cover costs of retraining and job searching.
Campaigners have described all the offers as "derisory." Furthermore, only 82 strikers have been allowed to vote, because union rules state only those "in dispute" throughout the course of the action are eligible - ruling out those who did any temporary work.
Magnet's financial reports for last year state that productivity went up by 15% at the Darlington plant and profits rose from £4.2m to £11m - an increase of more than 50%.
In its financial results for the year up to September 1996, Beresford, Magnet's parent company, wrote off £3.5m to cover the costs of the strike.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/82712.stm
Britain's longest-running dispute has ended with workers at the Magnet company voting to accept a financial settlement.
All of them were sacked by Magnet nearly three years ago and until now have refused offers of a financial settlement put forward.
The dispute began in August 1996 when 320 workers were sacked after demanding a pay increase at the factory in Darlington - after a four-year pay freeze.
Magnet offered them a 3% pay rise, but only to half the workforce. An official strike was called and strikers were promptly sacked.
A new workforce has since been brought in, but the picket line campaign for reinstatement continues.
Workers have now agreed to accept Magnet's latest offer of a one-off payment of about £850,000, which amounts to about £2,500 per person. However, some would receive as little as £250, and others up to £8,500.
This is an improved offer - in January they were offered roughly £1000 each to cover costs of retraining and job searching.
Campaigners have described all the offers as "derisory." Furthermore, only 82 strikers have been allowed to vote, because union rules state only those "in dispute" throughout the course of the action are eligible - ruling out those who did any temporary work.
Magnet's financial reports for last year state that productivity went up by 15% at the Darlington plant and profits rose from £4.2m to £11m - an increase of more than 50%.
In its financial results for the year up to September 1996, Beresford, Magnet's parent company, wrote off £3.5m to cover the costs of the strike.
Similar threads
