Probably nowhere in Britain has known more industrial trouble in
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transport as a whole than the North West. The Merseyside container dispute was a classic involving as it did, Heaton's of St Helens in many matters of wrangling and involving a principle which has resulted in the Dock Labour Bill.
It had one strong facet because although it was ostensibly a union and employer dispute it was really a who-doeswhat? TGWU dispute. The dockers and the drivers saw it as their duty to protect their jobs from each other. The trouble was that while they argued the Heaton business suffered and changed.
The great pity about disputes is that even the apparent winner loses something. The tragedy is that most disputes could have been avoided with a little more thought.
As revealed on page 28 of this issue the Heaton dispute need never have happened. If only the dockers shop stewards had gone to see the operator four years ago. When lines of communication are stretched too far the message gets lost in the telling; a little more direct talking would achieve so much more. After all, if men in the same industry cannot communicate, who can do it for them ?