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The Winnipeg General Strike: Businessmen Unite

 

THE RED FLAG- .
             "WINNIPEG`S STRIKERS ARE NOT REVOLUTIONARIES- .
             "NO SOVIET AT WINNIPEG- .
             "EMPLOYERS IN THE WRONG- .
             As the Propaganda war developed across the nation between the "Strike Committee- and the "Citizens Committee-, the Citizens Committee used the "Red Scare- tactic to drive the fear of the "One Big Union-. This was an attempt to unite all labour into a single union. The communist fear that swept the country was not the fault of the strikers, but that of the oppressive, capitalist business men who feared losing profit.
             The business men of the city and indeed across the country were responsible for the slander aimed at the workers, and it was they who were really responsible for the strike. Because of practices of the past, one can see how the business community was responsible for the strike through the following: The business class refused to accept any form of collective bargaining as a means to settle labour disputes. During the war, the cost of living increased dramatically in the country with little to no rise in pay or any benefits to speak of, which continued even after the war was over. The government (mostly businessmen and owners) passed laws prohibiting the workers from civic strikes, and newspaper owners used their newspapers to project a communist attitude towards the workers during the strike to cover up the workers legitimate demands.
             Before one looks at the strike, one must examine the years before the strike and into the 19th century. This was the age of laissez-faire, where labour was a commodity that business owners cared little for, for when there were so many of them they could obtain them very cheaply. "Supply and demand determined wages, hours and working conditions- when men were plentiful, they were also inexpensive, when skilled workers were at a premium they could obtain satisfactory conditions."" Business men were unused to unions and to workers having a voice of their own, so they naturally became quite angry at the workers for demanding better conditions and pay.


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