of giving notice; and notices were accordingly handed in, to terminate at the end of Feb.
At a subsequent meeting the Miners' Federation fixed the minimum rates they were prepared to accept in each district for piece workers " at the face " (i.e. hewers, etc.) ; and also added the following general instructions to their representatives, for their guidance in any negotiations that might ensue with the mine owners:
" No underground adult worker should receive a rate of wages less than 53. per shift." (This did not apply to the Forest of Dean, or to Bristol and Somerset.) " Individual minimum wages for all piece workers other than colliers to be arranged by the districts them- selves, and to be as near as possible present wages."
Day rates for underground workers, and boys' wages, were also to be left to local arrangement; the boys' wages not to be less than the then existing wages, and not in any case less than 2S. a day.
Unsuccessful negotiations took place between the coal owners and the men; and on Feb. 20 Mr. Asquith, who was at that time Prime Minister, intervened, and invited both parties to meet him and other members of the Government, separately, in con- ference on Feb. 22. From that date onward till March 15 the Prime Minister kept in constant touch with the parties, who finally met, in joint session, with representatives of the Govern- ment, on March 12, 13 and 14. On March 15, the Prime Minister announced that the Government had decided to ask from Parlia- ment " a legislative declaration that a reasonable minimum wage, accompanied by adequate safeguards for the protection of the employer, should be a statutory term of the contract of employ- ment of people who are engaged underground in coal mining."
In accordance with this announcement the Prime Minister introduced a bill in the House of Commons on March 19 1912, which received the Royal Assent on March 29, as the " Coal Mines (Minimum Wage) Act, 1912." The Act provided for the setting up of a joint district board in each of 22 districts specified in a schedule to the Act, to determine the minimum rates of wages for workmen employed underground in coal mines. On March 27 the coal owners met and adopted a resolution in favour of working the Act; and on the same day the men's Federation decided to take a ballot of the members on the question of resum- ing work, pending the settlement of minimum rates by the dis- trict boards. The ballot showed a majority (244,011 to 201,013) against resumption; but, at a national conference held on April 6, it was decided to terminate the strike.
A great strike of dock and other transport workers in the Port of London and on the Medway began on May 21 1912, and lasted over two months. The immediate occasion of the dispute was the refusal of a workman who belonged to the Amalgamated Society of Foremen Lightermen to join the Amalgamated Society of Watermen, Lightermen, and Bargemen; the latter society is affiliated to the National Transport Workers' Federation, but the former is not. The employers refused to interfere, and be- tween 5,000 and 6,000 lightermen left work on May 21, followed later by a number of dock workers, who ceased work in sympathy.
The underlying cause of the dispute, however, was dissatis- faction with the carrying out of the various agreements that had been arrived at in settlement of the disputes in the previous year (see above). The Government ordered an enquiry to be held by Sir Edward Clarke, K.C. ; and the alleged grievances of the work- men were found to come under seven heads, including:
Employment of non-union men, in alleged breach of an agree- ment, by two of the employers' associations.
Refusal of an employers' association to meet the trade union to discuss rates of wages and conditions of labour.
Refusal of certain employers to pay rates of wages fixed by various rds or agreements. Alleged interference with union workmen.
The board of trade invited representatives of the employers id of the workers to a conference, to discuss Sir E. Clarke's port. The men accepted, but the employers declined to be present, and stated that they could not accept Sir E. Clarke's report as an award on the points dealt with by him. They were unable to adopt certain suggestions made by the Board of Trade for the formation of a federation of employers; and refused, " under any circumstances, to any recognition of the Union of
Transport Workers' Federation ticket, or any discussion for such
recognition." Following upon debates in the House of Commons,
and upon further conferences with the parties, the Government
put forward various proposals on June 7; these were accepted
(in substance) by the men, but refused by the employers. The
Transport Workers' Federation thereupon declared a national
strike of transport workers. Certain of the unions affiliated to
the Federation took a ballot of their members as to the advisa-
bility of ceasing work, the result being in each case a majority
against a strike; and only about 20,000 men, at Manchester and
some of the minor ports, came out on strike. These all returned
unconditionally after a few days' stoppage.
The places of the men on strike in London had by this time begun to be filled up by non-unionists; and the employers took a very determined attitude, refusing to agree to any conditions precedent to the men returning to work. Further negotiations were fruitless, and on July 27 the men's strike committee recom- mended an immediate resumption of work. By July 31 the re- turn to work was fairly general; and by Monday, Aug. 6, prac- tically all the men who could find work were reinstated. About 100,000 workpeople were involved in the dispute, and the aggregate duration was about 2,700,000 working days.
A strike of tube and other metal workers in Birmingham, Wol- verhampton, Wednesbury, and other towns in the " Black Coun- try," began on April 25 1913, and continued until the middle of July. As many as 50,000 workpeople were involved at the height of the dispute, and the aggregate duration was about 1,400,000 working days. The majority of the strikers were labourers or semi-skilled workers; but a large number of skilled men were thrown idle owing to the absence of the labourers. The men demanded an all-round advance of 2s. a week on day-rates, and 10% on piece-rates, with a standard minimum of 233. a week for unskilled men; and various rates, on a scale rising with. each year of age, for youths and for girls. The parties were brought together through the intervention of the chief industrial com- missioner; and an agreement was signed on July 7, fixing the standard rate for adult able-bodied unskilled labourers at 233. in the Birmingham district, and at 223. in the Black Country- district, to be raised to 235. after six months. The rates for youths and for girls were also fixed, on a scale rising by ages. Piece-work rates were to be fixed by agreement between the several employers and their workmen, the day-rate, however, being guaranteed irrespective of piece-work earnings.
The Dublin dispute of 1913-4 was unique in British industrial history, in that it was the only dispute of importance, at least since regular records have been compiled, in which all the trades of a whole city and district were involved, including even agri- culture. It was, in fact, the nearest approach to a " general " strike that had ever been known. Ever since the year 1908 there had been much industrial unrest in Dublin, frequently taking the form of the sympathetic strike. The " sympathetic " strike, in this developed and organized form, is a species of boycott, aiming at the complete dislocation of the trade of the firm or firms attacked; the withdrawal of their own employees is sup- plemented and reinforced by the refusal of the employees of other firms to handle their goods. The immediate occasion of the strike was an announcement by the Dublin Tramway Co. of the temporary closing of their parcels department, and of their intention, when that department was reopened, not to allow their employees in that department to belong to the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union, which had been active in the policy of the sympathetic strike. A number of tramwaymen struck work on Aug. 26, demanding the reinstatement of the locked-out workpeople in the parcels department; they also put in claims for increased wages, shorter hours, and other conces- sions. Following this came strikes (or lock-outs) of employees of flour millers, coach builders, biscuit manufacturers, coal mer- chants, steamship companies, master carriers, master builders, timber importers, cement and brick merchants, and farmers in the County Dublin; besides a large number of independent firms, in a wide variety of trades. At a meeting on Sept. 3, 400 employers inJtiublin passed a resolution to the effect that " the
