When the Workers' National Trade Union rejected this suggestion and counter-proposed a reduction of working hours, the NAF responded with a programme of lockouts.
It was an angry mood in which the Secretary of the Labor party (and later Prime Minister) Einar Gerhardsen called strikebreakers "skabbdyr" (scabs) and director of Norsk Hydro Bjarne Eriksen described the dispute as being one between Labour and the community.
The brief "battle", between police and strikers, saw law-and-order forces overwhelmed by demonstrators, who threw stones and iron piping before the protesters retreated.
The government response (passed on by Minister of Defence, Vidkun Quisling) was to send the army into the province with the stated aim of protecting nearby weapons depots.
Although there was no further incident and law and order in the area was duly restored, the government response was heavily criticised by the Communist party, who had led the original demonstrations.