umed , ▁but ▁the ▁union ▁rejected ▁the ▁proposal . ▁In ▁H unt ly ▁no ▁min ers ▁or ▁tr uck ers ▁went ▁to ▁work . ▁The ▁company ▁claimed ▁the ▁union ▁was ▁breaking ▁their ▁agreement , ▁though ▁union ▁leader ▁Harry ▁Holland ▁stated ▁that ▁the ▁' ag re ement ' ▁had ▁been ▁draft ed ▁by ▁the ▁company ▁and ▁' ag re ed ▁to ' ▁when ▁there ▁was ▁no ▁union . ▁Rec alling ▁the ▁events ▁later ▁stri ker ▁Ban jo ▁Hunter ▁re called ▁" the ▁strike ▁fe ver ▁spread ▁like ▁a ▁huge ▁ep ide mic ▁wave " ▁ ▁Inter pret ation ▁The ▁conventional ▁idea ▁of ▁the ▁strike ▁is ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁part ▁of ▁a ▁global ▁change ▁in ▁both ▁the ▁ide ological ▁belief s ▁and ▁strateg ic ▁methods ▁of ▁trade ▁union ists ▁world wide ▁as ▁the ▁ideas ▁of ▁synd ical ism ▁spread . ▁However ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁workers ▁in ▁the ▁strike ▁were ▁' ordinary ▁people .' ▁it ▁is ▁often ▁seen ▁as ▁an ▁instance ▁of ▁class ▁war ; ▁the ▁workers ▁of ▁New ▁Zealand ▁fighting ▁against ▁the ▁employ ers ▁and ▁their ▁al lies ▁in ▁the ▁conserv ative ▁Reform ▁government ▁that ▁had ▁come ▁to ▁power ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 2 . ▁ ▁Some ▁histor ians ▁have ▁suggested ▁that ▁employ ers ▁engine ered ▁the ▁conflict , ▁for ▁example ▁Michael ▁King ▁wrote ▁that ▁" In ▁October ▁of ▁that ▁year ▁[ 1 9 1 3 ] ... ▁employ ers ▁fear ing ▁a ▁continu ation ▁of ▁' re volution ary ' ▁union ▁tact ics , ▁engine ered ▁a ▁lock out ▁on ▁the ▁Well ington