Public Kept in Ignorance

A major factor in the 1951 dispute was that, through this legislation, the majority of New Zealanders just didn't know what was happening.

Naturally the Trade Unions were sent into a state of shock by these measures and a total of 22,000 watersiders and FoL affiliates (including freezing workers, miners, drivers and hydro-workers) went out on strike.

By February 27 the Government had de-registered the Watersiders and sent troops in to operate the docks.

On March 6 representatives from all the striking unions went to the Minister of Labour in an attempt at negotiation. However the Government was completely unwilling to accept the presence of Hill and Barnes (ie. the Watersiders' representatives).

The FoL, seeing its chance to ruin their rivals in the TUC (and with little regard for the waterside workers) embarked on a campaign of red-baiting all of their own. Calling Hill and Barnes "communist mis-leaders", they urged the watersiders to hand their grievances over to them.

When the watersiders refused, many of the FoL affiliates began to drift back to work. But the watersiders were not prepared to back down and it became a grim battle to the end, with the Government and the FoL in a position where they couldn't lose.

By the end of April 1951, strike-breakers had filled the ports of Auckland and by May had done the same in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. And on July 15, the watersiders' staunchest [unclear: allis] the miners, finally returned to work and the lockout could do nothing but end.

In all the lockout lasted 151 days and had cost 42 million pounds and a million working days.

Stephen A'Court