Sir Walter Threatens

Winston Churchill returned home last week to face a labor crisis. Directly challenging the Trade Disputes Act of 1927 (enacted soon after the 1926 general strike), the Union of Post Office Workers last fortnight applied, and was promptly accepted, for affiliation with the British Trades Union Congress. The Trade Disputes Act specifically bars civil servants from joining the T.U.C. Grizzled, thin-lipped Sir Walter Citrine, T.U.C. chief who looks more like a schoolmaster than a tough-minded labor boss, had fired the first shot against the Act which all labor regards as the blackest piece of legislation on the British statute book.

"It is perfectly clear," said Sir Walter in a strong-man speech at Nottingham, "that the war is being used as a pretext for withholding from us this overdue rectification of a wrong. . . . Now we have decided that whatever the risks . . . we are going to re-establish organic connection with the Civil Service Trade Unions. ..."

Attempts to move the Churchill Government on the issue have already failed, said Sir Walter. It now appeared that the

Government must dismiss rebelling civil servants individually or accede to T.U.C.'s demand. But Sir Walter bluntly warned the Government against dismissing them. Said he: "We are determined to use such power as we possess to see that no revengeful punishment . . . will be imposed by anyone without the power of this movement* being placed in protection of the individual civil servants."

* Current membership in the T.U.C. is now placed at more than 5,500,000.

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