It was nice to see Logan Ayre and Nolan from the U of W. Logan is still alive and is over 100 years old. I am a friend of his son. And it was good to see the name of Mike Sokolowski, shot by the police in cold blood, remembered. I have a lot of respect for producer Cecil Rosner, but the show could have been improved in some rather glaring and obvious aspects. Perhaps the class struggle was also reflected in the show itself, in what was added and what was missing. First of all, the initial and substantive issue of the strike was over the simple recognition of the Metal Trades Council to negotiative an agreement with the bosses. The bosses refused even to meet. In that regard, bosses are still pretty much the same. But working people are better organized now. After 10 days and no reply from the bosses, a more "general" strike developed, in support of the metal workers. You would think that a program an hour long might, eventually, bring those details to the light of day.
Further developments pretty well took place as the show depicted. However, it should be underlined that the Parliament of Canada rammed through legislation which allowed the Immigration Board to deport British-born citizens. They were already doing this with Ukranians, Slavs, European Jews and so on, but the Act was amended so as to deport the strike leaders.
It was, frankly, repulsive to see that a professional historian hostile to working people was solicited for his opinion of the strike, but the best the show's producers could manage for the other side was some grainy film with one of the postal worker leaders arguing with a policeman over the significance of the strike. Perhaps it was difficult to find anyone, other than a Communist, who would take the workers' point of view unconditionally.
I shall remedy that by quoting the words the late Alderman Jacob Penner from the 1959 edition of Marxist Review:
quote:
Jacob Penner: The Strike Committee, in order to prevent further violence (by the scab police and the "Special Police" - N.Beltov), stopped the strike on June 26th. Thus ended the Winnipeg General Strike. The metal workers achieved a negotiated contract. The strike leaders arrested received jail terms. Thus the main issue in the strike - that of collective bargaining - was won.
But there was more that was won.
quote:
The Winnipeg General Strike has had a profound and lasting influence on the history of the Canadian Labour movement.(To this day, members of the Winnipeg Labour Council organize and participate in commemorative events around the General Strike and honour the memory of the strikers and all those who took part. - N.Beltov) ... The struggle shattered the illusion that the government is an impartial body and stands above the classes in our social structure, that it administers the affairs of the country in accordance with an unchangeable conception of justice, which is applied to all classes alike. All these illusions exploded during the strike and the participants learned that in capitalist society capitalists rule and the governments are but their obedient tools. ...
Paid for, in blood. Don't let the bosses ever tell you otherwise, my friends.
[ 23 June 2007: Message edited by: N.Beltov ]
Email this thread to someone!
posted 23 June 2007 02:39 PM
