Historical Events of the Revolutionary World Movement

The Great Docker Strike in London

14 th of August 1889

The Great Docker Strike in London

Victory for the 130,000 strikers !

1889 - the year of the founding of the Second International

Ben Tillet of the Dockers' Union

Ben Tillett (1859-1943), General Secretary of the Tea Operatives and General Labourers' Association.

"We are driven into a shed, iron-barred from end to end, outside of which a foreman or contractor walks up and down with the air of a dealer in a cattlemarket, picking and choosing from a crowd of men, who, in their eagerness to obtain employment, trample each other under foot, and where like beasts they fight for the chances of a day's work."

John Burns addressing a meeting during the strike of 1889.

"Labour of the humbler kind has shown its capacity to organize itself; its solidarity; its ability. The labourer has learned that combination can lead him to anything and everything.

He has tasted success as the immediate fruit of combination, and he knows that the harvest he has just reaped is not the utmost he can look to gain.

Conquering himself, he has learned that he can conquer the world of capital whose generals have been the most ruthless of his oppressors."

Solidarity with the dockers:

"We, the Union of the Stevedores of London, knowing the condition of the dock labourers, have determined to support their movement by every lawful means in our power. We now appeal to members of all trade unions for joint action with us, and especially those whose work is in connection with shipping - engineers and fitters, boiler makers, ships' carpenters, etc. and also the coal heavers, ballast men and lightermen.

"

The Great Dock Strike of 1889.

The port was paralyzed by what was in effect a general strike. It was estimated that by 27 August 130,000 men were on strike.

It took place against the background of growing trade unionism among unskilled workers and discontent at the wretched living conditions of dockers and their families. At the root of this was the casual nature of dock labour, organised via the 'call-on' and the contract system.

Until the late 19th century, much of the trade of the port was seasonal. Sugar came from the West Indies, timber from the north, tea and spices from the Far East. It was difficult to predict when ships would arrive since bad weather could delay a fleet.

There was very little mechanisation - the loading and discharging of ships was highly labour-intensive. Demand for men varied from day to day because there was very little advance notice that a ship was arriving. The dock companies only took on labourers when trade picked up and they needed them.

Most workers in the docks were casual labourers taken on for the day. Sometimes they would be taken on only for a few hours. Twice a day there was a 'call-on' at each of the docks when labour was hired for short periods.

Only the lucky few would be selected, the rest would be sent home without payment. The employers wanted to have a large number of men available for work but they did not want to pay them when there was no work. The dockers and their families therefore existed in a state of acute poverty.

The poverty in which the dockers and their families lived caused great resentment and helped cause the great strike of 1889.

In the port of London only skilled men like engineers, shipwrights, carpenters and riggers were unionised.