Tomkinson informed the Admiralty of the protests, stating that the cause seemed to be the disproportionate pay cut of 25% for some ratings. The sailors returned to their ships however many gathered on deck after their return and continued their protests. The Officer of the Patrol was able to address the assembly, but speeches, cheering and singing recommenced after he had finished. These disturbances were characterised as disorderly, and civilians were reportedly spotted amongst the sailors.
Shortly before dinner, Tomkinson was informed that patrols had been dispatched from Hood and Valiant to deal with further disturbances at the canteen and in the open air ashore. That evening, Tomkinson hosted a dinner attended by most of the ships′ commanders along with the various flag officers present. On 14 September, Warspite and Malaya left the harbour to perform planned exercises, and during the day four more ships arrived: Centurion, Shikari, Snapdragon and Tetrarch. He reported the incident, and his decision, to the Admiralty by telegram. After considering reports about the incident from Wake and the Chief of Staff, Rear-Admiral Ragnar Colvin, Tomkinson decided not to take disciplinary action over the disturbances. The crews left peacefully, although further speeches were made at the pier. Extra patrols were sent, led by the commander of Warspite himself, Captain Wake, and the canteen was closed early. The Officer of the Patrol reported this disturbance to Warspite, the ship of the watch that night, and requested reinforcements.
The following evening, a number of them made speeches criticising the cuts, at the canteen ashore. They voted to organise a strike and left singing The Red Flag.
On the night of 12 September, a group of sailors met at a football field on land. After arriving, officers and crew had access to newspapers, which contained reports of the pay cuts. Ten warships arrived in port on 11 September: Hood (the flagship), Adventure, Dorsetshire, Malaya, Norfolk, Repulse, Rodney, Valiant, Warspite and York. By that time, the mood for a strike had taken hold in many crews. However, several ships had not received copies of the letter and some were unable to pass the information on to their companies until the next day. The following morning, Tomkinson ordered the commanders of all ships present to read sections of the Admiralty letter out to their officers and crew. This letter stated the reasons for the reduction in pay and the principles on which it had been based. On the evening of 13 September, by which time sailors had already started agitating, Rear-Admiral Wilfrid Tomkinson (in temporary command of the fleet while Admiral Sir Michael Hodges was in hospital) received a letter from the Admiralty dated 10 September. On 12 September, orders were received from the Admiralty confirming the pay cuts.
The shock of this news had a palpable effect. Sailors of the Atlantic Fleet, arriving at Invergordon, on the Cromarty Firth in Scotland, in the afternoon of Friday 11 September, learned about the cuts from newspaper reports some reports implied that a 25% cut would be imposed on all ratings. On top of this, many Labour party supporters shared the sense of betrayal felt in the labour movement at Ramsay MacDonald's split with the Labour Party and his formation of a new government with the Conservatives. Those ratings below Petty Officer who had joined before 1925 would also have their pay reduced to the new rate this amounted to a cut of 25%. A 10% cut would cause great hardship to the already poorly-paid ratings. The recommended cuts in spending on the navy were translated into a 10% pay cut (matching 10% cuts across the board for public sector workers) for officers and senior ratings, and for all junior ratings on the "new rate" of pay (introduced for new entrants from 1925). In September 1931, as part of its attempts to deal with the Great Depression, the new National Government launched cuts to public spending.
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