Dock strikes in ye olden days

[Mao Cap]

Hello all (that remember me), it's been a while. Don't really post these days, but I thought those of us into their history (Fitzhugh, VFTT et. al.) on here might appreciate this. If this was already know then I apologise, haven't read about it anywhere else.

 

Anyway, we all know that garbled Skate nonsense about a strike in Portsmouth which failed because of strikebreakers from Southampton (despite there being no record of this, Portsmouth being almost exclusively a naval port at the time etc. etc.) and also that it's utter rubbish. But I was doing a bit of reading on Wikipedia just now about the 1889 London Dock Strike - as you do - and also found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southampton_Dock_Strike_of_1890

 

'Unlike the London Dock Strike, the strike in Southampton was marked by a certain amount of public disorder. Blacklegs from Portsmouth arriving at the railway station were attacked and large crowds gathered daily in the streets around the docks and, leading to fears of rioting. In response the Mayor requested assistance from the Home Office. The West Yorkshire Regiment was called in from Portsmouth, and the Mayor read the riot act. In the event, however, troops were not deployed, and streets such as Canute Road were instead cleared with the aid of the local fire-brigade, who opened their hoses on the crowds.

 

The strike was called off on 15 September after the London-based executives of the Dockers and Seamen's Unions announced that they would not make the strike official or release union funds for strike pay. This decision caused enormous bitterness and resulted in the collapse of the Dockers' Union in the town. One lasting impact of the strike was that it led to the formation of a Southampton Trades Council to coordinate union action in disputes.

 

The last word must be with one dock striker of the time, tired and without means to live other than returning to work:

 

”I had to face the police one day, and the soldiers the next, but on Saturday night I had to face the old woman, and that was the worst of all!”'

 

So to sum up...legitimate historical sources indicate that it's the Skates who have a history of scabbing and letting their fellow workers down, not Sotonians

[Saint137]

In more recent times there was rivalry due to Southampton being a nationalised port under the NDLB whereas ports like Pompey & Felixstowe were outside the scheme and privately owned. As a result Southampton was heavily unionised and expensive and the private ports would undercut to take business away. Southampton was on strike a lot late 70s early 80s and so Southampton dockers saw Pompey dockers as being scabs for carrying on working. The old man's dislike for the blue few comes from then because he was a docker at the time, back in the 60s like many he would go to Fratton if Saints weren't at home and they were playing Man U/Liverpool etc.

[Wade Garrett]

My dad did flying picket duty at Pompey Docks in the 80's. As I've said before, Southampton dockers have never been strike breakers.

[John Boy Saint]

My 'Uncle' John turned up at home at 'Auntie' Dots a few times in the early at lunchtime in the '70s after some shop steward had decided they wanted the afternoon off from Southampton Docks?

Funny how, despite being a mere Nipper, I recall how piddled off he was when he walked through the door.