Doctor Drivel wrote:

"Joe" wrote in message
...


The London docks went when the unions said they would never handle
containers.

They were, of course, absolutely correct.


No. 1 large container ships could not get up the Thames. No.2 they
never said that at all. At the time there was disputes about stripping
and stuffing containers. In the USA they allowed the dock labourers to
do that in special terminals. In the UK they wanted to get rid of the
established Dockers (hatred of unions) and employ scab labour.

As I recall, the dockers wanted a monopoly on goods handling within
ten miles of the port.

Eventually the went the way of the USA. So, all for nothing.

The issue was largely one of 'shrinkage'. It was a rare place of
business (long before car boot sales) that didn't have someone
married to, or related to, someone 'in the docks' who could supply
low-cost goods.