SETTLEMENT OF THE ENGINEERS’ STRIKE

MEN GO BACK TO-DAY.

Late on Saturday the welcome announcement was made that the engineers’ strike had been settled. An official communiqué stated:

After a meeting at the Ministry of Munitions between the Minister of Munitions and Mr. Henderson and the Executive Council of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, a conference with the Executive Council of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers was held at No 10, Downing-street.

The following proposals were agreed:

1. That the members of the Unofficial Strike Conference should return to their districts in accordance with the resolution of the deputation from the Unofficial Strike Conference which waited upon the Executive Council, and should advise the men to return to work at once; and that a public statement should be made to this effect.

2. That the members of the Unofficial Strike Conference should leave the Executive Council to conduct negotiations with the Government in regard to existing differences, and should use their best endeavours to secure the continuance of this practice, with a view to the avoidance of any stoppage of work in the future.

3. The Executive Council will issue an instruction to the men now on strike immediately to return to work.

4. That the Government will not authorise the arrest of further men in connection with the present strike in addition to the ten men against whom warrants have been issued.

5. That no further action will be taken to effect the arrest of the two men out of the ten against whom warrants have been issued who are not already in custody.

6. That the Government will be prepared to suggest to the magistrate that, pending the trial of the eight men who have been arrested, they should be allowed out of custody on their own recognisances to be of good behaviour.

7. That there should be no victimisation in consequence of the present strike in any Government or controlled establishment.

STRIKE LEADERS RELEASED.

In accordance with the terms of the settlement, the men who had been arrested under the Defence of the Realm Regulations in connection with the strike were liberated from Brixton Prison. One of the seven, Stanley Burgess, of Sheffield, had been released earlier in the day, his father having travelled from Sheffield to offer himself as surety in the sum of £100 for his son. Walter Hill was also released, Mr. W. C. Anderson, M.P., having been accepted as surety for him.

RECEPTION IN THE COUNTRY.

Hurried meetings of the strikers in various parts of the country were held yesterday, and in the majority of cases there will be a resumption of work this morning. This applies to Manchester and East Lancashire, Nottingham, and Sheffield, where, however, there had been a partial break-away. At the latter city the men passed a resolution calling for a national ballot on the trade card scheme and dilution on private work.

At a mass meeting of Barrow engineers it was resolved not to resume work pending a satisfactory settlement.