Ray Gunter, Labour M.P. for Southwark and one of Gaitskell's most ardent supporters, speaking at Colchester on July 7th said unofficial strikes are dangerous and ovil. He added: "We as a nation, should now havo reached a position whoro the strike and the lock-out belonged to the history book. " Continuing he said: "The official strike is now becoming rare. It is the unofficial strike that has aroused so much antagonism to the trade union movement."
Quite apart from his attitude towards unofficial strikes, Gunter has got his facts wrong. According to the Ministry of Labour Gazotte, in the first 5 nonths of 1962 4,510,000 working days were lost through industrial strikes. Also according to the Gazette "nearly all the engineering and shipbuilding workers (were) involved in a national stoppage on 5th Feb. (and)..again involved on March 5th.' According to the Ministry of Labour classificiation there are nearly 2 million working in industries affected by the stoppage. This moans that of the 4% million days lost something like 4 million were lost in one official strike, This is quite apart from other official strikes. ‘%o official strikes,which according to Guntor are becoming rare',accounted for at least 88% (and probably much more) of the working days lost this year so far. A sinil icture can be given for nost years; in 1959 3% million out of 54 million working oF eno lost through one official printing dispute, in 1958 1.6 million out of 3$ million through the London bus strike and in 1957 over’million out of 8.4 million were lost through the official engineering and shipbuilding strikes.