The London Dock Strike of 1889 wins the 'dockers' tanner'

Background. The strike occurred during a period of increasing labor activism among London's working class. The courage and confidence for the 'dockers' to come together came from actions demonstrated in 1888. The 1888 strike by the matchwomen at the Bryant and May match factory in Bow was the tip of the labor activism movement. Workers came from varied labor positions, including stevedores, ship-painters, dockyard mechanics, carpenters, shipwrights, carmen, lightermen, and workers in biscuit and jam factories, all coming together for one common goal.

Demands. The principal demand of the agitation was for the 'dockers' tanner', meaning a rate of sixpence an hour. Prior to the strike, few dockers were organised, but once it began, the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers' Union recruited a substantial section of the London docks workforce. The strike is widely considered a milestone in the development of the British labour movement.

Mediation. The strike was noted for large, peaceful processions which impressed middle class opinion and won sympathy for the strikers' cause from figures such as Cardinal Manning, who acted as mediator between the striking workers and the dock owners. From the Catholic Church's point of view, Cardinal Manning's involvement could be seen as foreshadowing the encyclical Rerum novarum issued by Pope Leo XIII two years later.

Organisers. Notable organisers who came to prominence during the strike include Ben Tillett, John Burns, Tom Mann, Ben Cooper, Will Thorne and the seamen's leader Joseph Havelock Wilson. Tillett and his union rose to prominence during the London dock strike of 1889, although the strike itself began without union involvement. Burns played a major part in the London Dock Strike in August 1889.