3 July 1918: Isle of Man general strike
On this day, 3 July 1918, a general strike began on the British dependency, the Isle of Man. Sailors, dockers, school workers, transport workers, shop assistants and others walked out on strike demanding that the price of bread remain at 9p – the same price it was in the UK, where flour was subsidised by the state. Previous agitation on the Isle of Man had pressured the local government to implement a subsidy as well for six months to match the price, amidst rising prices during World War I. But that subsidy just expired and the price was scheduled to be increased to 1 shilling (12p).
Businesses that attempted to remain open were invaded by crowds of pickets and shut down. Fishing boats were allowed to dock, but fish had to be sold at prices set by a strike committee which was established by the workers. The strike committee also permitted shops in working class areas to open between the hours of 7 AM and 9 AM to allow people to buy food.
On the second day of the strike, the governor approached the strike committee and offered them 10.5p per loaf. But this was refused. The governor then met with the legislative council, which caved in and agreed to restore the 9p price. As a result the strike ended on July 5.
More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7941/Isle-of-Man-general-strike
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Speaker 1: On this day and working class history. The third of July.
And on the third of July nineteen eighteen, a general
strike began on the British dependency the Isle of Man. Sailors, dockers,
school workers, transport workers, shop assistants and others walked out
on strike, demanding that the price of bread remain at
nine p, the same price it was in the UK,
where flower was subsidized by the state. Previous agitation on
the Isle of Man had pressured the local government to
implement a subsidy as well for six months to match
the price amidst rising prices during World War I, but
that subsidy just expired and the price was scheduled to
be increased to one shilling or twelve p. Businesses that
attempted to remain open were invaded by crowds of pickets
and shut down. Fishing boats were allowed to dock, but
fish had to be sold at prices set by a
strike committee, which was established by the workers. The strike
committee also permitted shops in working class areas to open
between the hours of seven am and nine am to
allow people to buy food. On the secondary of the strike.
The governor approached the committee and offered them ten point
five p per loaf, but this was refused. The governor
then met with the Legislative Council, which caved in and
agreed to restore the nine p price. As a result,
the strike ended on the fifth of.
Speaker 3: July and.
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Speaker 1: The music by A decadeo A See you Tomorrow