Dockers and Railwaymen Embargo
Introduction from Chronology
Dublin dockers decide that, in future, they would not handle 'war
materials'. They are soon joined by
railwaymen.
More Detail
Dockers at Dun Laoghaire refuse to unload a freighter with supplies for
the British Army and it had to be unloaded by troops. However, the supplies lay on the docks as the
railway men refused to take the supplies on board their trains.
The ITGWU instructed members to back the embargo but allowing individual
railwaymen and dockers to move members of British military or their supplies if
they wished (thus allowing the bulk of workers to remain in employment). The
English-based unions (like the National Union of Railwaymen) did not support
the boycott and urged their members to carry on their work as normal while they
negotiated with Llyod George.
The embargo spread throughout June.
Troops were ordered to stay on trains when the railwaymen refused to
carry them which led to many immobilised trains around the country. Railway companies sacked many men who took
part in the embargo and by July/August over a thousand were out of work. Funds were started to support the sacked
men. There was a slight de-escalation at
the end of July when the British army restricted the shipment of munitions and
supplies by rail. However, in
mid-October the British decided to force the issue by again trying to use the
railways. When this led to refusal by
the railwaymen to move the men and material of the British Army, the British
government ordered the Midland Great Western Railway to suspend all trains on
November 14th – other rail companies were to follow later. By the last week of November there were
15,000 railwaymen out of work and supporting them was proving impossible. The prospect of a complete shutdown of the
railway system was imminent.
On December 4th, the Dáil cabinet decided that, although they
wanted the strike to continue, they would “leave matters in the hands of labour
to get out of it as best they can”.
On December 21st, the Irish Labour Party/Trade Union Council
met in the Mansion House in Dublin and voted to return to normal work.