Industrial Unionism and Tom Mann.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 33, 20 October 1911, Page 4

Industrial Unionism and Tom Mann.

The alleged news item that waa printed in most American papers in ef> feet that Tom Mann, the well-known. British Labor agitator, had lost his standing among the organised workers because he eamt out uncompromisingly, for industrial xinionism, is absolutely; untrue (says an American exchange). To-day in England Tom Mann is credited, with J. Havelock Wilson, with. having worked out the plans and directed the campaign that resulted in a complete victory for the marine ors and the almost total demoralisation of the Shipping Federation in the recent great strike. Mann's policy was not to call tKe> seamen on strike and permit the dockers and other workers to remain itt their jobs. He demanded that all marine workers walk out or none, that there should be no slow siiicide by calling strikes on cmft lines. • Mann's bitter attacks upon the oldline union officials were, of course, not relished, and this difference of policy perhaps started the talk that he had. lost his prestige—with certain so-call-ed leaders, yes. But while officials of craft unions fumed and fretted at the idea of losing place and power and salaries by . an. industrial merger, the rank and file listened and grew enthusiastic the moro they studied the real principle of "-all for one and one for all." The clash came and the shipping business was paralysed by an industrial army that moved almost like clockwork, rather than in the old-fashioned way of everybody for himself and the devil take the hindermost, and Mami was preparing to carry the general strike further when the masters became frightened and conceded virtually everything that the men wanted. We fail to see how the British marine strike can ha, in the slightest degree, regarded as a vindication of the out-of-date methods of craft unionism or the effete theories of so-called leaders in Europe or America. It is difficult enough to win a. general industrial strike nowadays with capital and police power in. the hands of plutocratic masters without making claims of the efficiency of little craft contests that may have proved advantageous years ago, before modern civilisation was possible. Those who cnkhu.se at the success of the marine workers ought to practice consistency and advocate industrial unionism to n:eoL the new conditions that labor must face.