A narchists Take Charge
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T AST week-end's strike of bus and tram opera' 4 tives of the London Transport Executive marks another step along the path of industrial anarchy. It demonstrates, among those who took part, complete ignorance of the principles of democracy and of the responsibilities of public servants. It shows absence of confidence in the leaders of •the Transport and General Workers' Union and a reprehensible disregard for contractual obligations. The action of the strikers cannot be too strongly condemned.
The Only Way Although the brevity and timing of the strike caused the minimum of inconvenience to the travelling public, the questions of principle raised are of vital importance. In warning all operatives that any further breach of the terms and conditions of employment would be punished by dismissal, the Executive has taken the only possible step in defence of its authority and of the public's right to an uninterrupted service. The L.T.E. might even be accused of excessive restraint in overlooking the defection of those who illegally withdrew their labour last week-end.
Conditions of employment of London's transport operatives are excellent and all workers are under an obligation to behave with decorum. Instead, many have shown themselves to be lawless and undeserving of the consideration vouchsafed them. They can expect little public sympathy. Had the L.T.E. readily agreed to pay time-anda-half for .work on Saturdays within the 44-hour week, the ground would have been cut from beneath the provincial company and municipal undertakings, on which a similar claim has been made. The position of the municipal operators. which have already refused the demand, would have been made untenable. It would also have opened up the way for other covert applications for increases in pay to circumvent the Government White Paper on personal incomes.
Bus workers might have been tempted to press for extra pay for duty outside normal industrial hours—perhaps before 8 a.m. and after 6 p.m.— for driving old vehicles which require extra effort in the maintenance of Present-day running schedules, and on other shallow pretexts. In the hands of unscrupulous agitators, the flimsiest of causes can be given the appearance of burning injustice.
Diseilpine Required To preserve discipline in industry, workers must be shown that if, through joint consultative committees, they are to share in the dignity and responsibilities of management, they must accept their contractual obligations without dissent. To emphazise the point, exemplary action is required in all cases of defection. Tolerance is frequently interpreted as weakness, and weakness is never respected.