The blockade of Britain

Mr Callaghan's Labour government this week faced up to a potentially more damaging confrontation with the unions than Mr Heath's fatal brush with the miners in 1974. No sooner had the danger of the oil tanker drivers' national strike melted this week than the road haulage drivers' strike started choking supplies to industry. Although only about 30,000 of Britain's 180,000 drivers are actually on strike, mobile pickets have closed the ports and disrupted manufacturing industry. The country has also been threatened with a national rail strike and a stoppage by water and sewerage workers. The cabinet met on Thursday to contemplate its impotence. Ministers are struggling to hold the line at 15% on pay settlements—three times the official 5% limit. On Thursday afternoon Mr Callaghan called transport union bosses to Downing Street to try to stop the lorry strike being made official.