Scottish electricians

The @nomaly created by the government's advice that, since it was settled one day after the commencement of the freeze the 1/-d yer hour increase due to be paid to electricians in the cuentracting industry from March should not apply in Scotland, has inevitably resulted in a strike, The private contractors stated their intention of defying the DEA advice and of paying the 1/-d an hour. Therefore on Monday 6th March only about 500 men, mainly employers of Glasgow Corporation and of various bakery firms struck. The latter rapidly agreed to pay and their men returned to work. Meanwhile during the course of last week employees of other local authorities, notably Greenock, came out. The strike remained unofficial and when William Blairford, Executive member of the E.T.U. for Scotland, addressed a meeting of the men on Thursday night and condemned the unofficial action he was deluged with eggs. On Friday (significantly after the Pollok by-election) the government introduced an order under Part IV of the Prices and Incomes Act preventing the employers paying the agreed rise. At the time of writing it is still not known whether the private contractors employees will join the more militant corporation electricians in strike action. Naturally enough, since the effect of the order is to allow English, Welsh and Irish electricians to earn 1/-d per hour more than their Scottish brothers, the strike has so far had a decidedly nationalist flavour. Pickets outside the Glasgow City Chambers were sporting SNP badges and one of their leaflets finishes with the slogan "Help us to help Scotland". Once again clearly the government have no-one but themselves to blame for this situation.