Oxygen Strike Ends

BETRAYED by their union officials, denounced by the hierarchy of the Trades Union Congress, witch-hunted by the national Press, the workers at British Oxygen returned to work on Monday.

For a full week Fleet Street poured out a veritable torrent of abuse and vilification on the strikers.

Ignoring the fact that the men's claim had ben lodged 12 months ago, the Daily Herald discovered 'A very odd fact' about the strike. 'They were also on strike in May 1955'—the date of the last General Election—screamed Labour's daily.

That pillar of Toryism, the Daily Telegraph, whimpered and complained about the tactics of the strikers' unofficial committee in 'misleading union officers and snubbing them.'

The Star thundered against the 'menace of unofficial strikes'. Discarding its liberal phrases and forgetting its chatty little homilies about individual freedom, the Star demanded that 'those who disobey, defy and denigrate the union rules, be 'kicked out'.

The right of workers to use their strength to speed up a wage claim constituted 'anarchy' and 'wrecking' for the Star. The absolute industrial monopoly enjoyed by British Oxygen is apparently in full accordance with liberal principles.

From the beginning of the dispute, Fleet Street set out to intimidate the strike leaders and to discredit their case. Roy Nash of the News Chronicle, always in business for a 'red plot', did his best in the edition of October 2 to tie up the strike with the Socialist Labour League.

'Keep politics out of industry' said the employers and the Labour leaders, whilst the employers' Press busily engaged in a political smear campaign.

What undoubtedly disturbed the employers was the emergence of a national rank-and-file committee. Here for the first time workers from the various depots came together to discuss their fight. The appearance of such a committee shows that a growing awareness is developing amongst industrial workers of the need to co-ordinate and join their struggles on a national basis.

This committee should not be allowed to lapse. The employers are due to give their reply to the wage demand on October 20 and the men must prepare now for a new struggle if the employers' answer is unsatisfactory.

The committee could strengthen its base if it offered a united front to the motor car workers. During the dispute 'black' oxygen was flown in from the Continent to Vauxhalls at Luton.

A pledge from the oxygen workers that, in the event of disputes between car firms and the motor workers, they will give full support to the motor workers would end any plans the employers may have for breaking a future strike of the oxygen workers.

The British Oxygen strike showed again the importance and necessity of rank-and-file committees. It also emphasized the need for these committees to have a political leadership which can break through the restrictive sectional divisions of the unions and co-ordinate the struggles of all workers against the employers.

The employers and their Press fully recognize the dangers for them of the emergence of such a leadership, hence their hysterical tirade against the strikers and their efforts to isolate every dispute.