LONDON--Strikers who want a 16 percent pay raise shut down most of Britain's state-owned steel industry yesterday, and called for worldwide measures by union supporters to starve British industry of steel.
The National Union of Railwaymen agreed to stop movement of steel stocks on British railroads and in ports--including normal imports to private firms--to keep them from being diverted to customers of British Steel Corp.
Bill Sirs, leader of 90,000 strikers of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, said yesterday the International Transportation Federation's British representative had also agreed, in effect, to blockade world steel exports to Britain.
Imports, mostly from Scandinavia, continental Europe and Japan, account for about a quarter of British steel consumption.
"It we can prevent steel coming into this country, industry may then be put in the position of persuading this government and the employers that they have to settle," Sirs said.
The strike, which began at midnight Tuesday, is the first in the steel industry in 54 years.
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