We will be campaigncommunity around a petition and will Mining Women Closurec Carpag group of MP: and other willing hele necessary there will te further industrial action.
If all these measures munity lose its lifeline but the NUM will lose one of its most militant lodges in one which up to now has been a scabfree zone. announced by the coalboard reconvened review meeting at Dover We were summoned to a meeting by the NCB where they told uS that Tilmansione would =-2 cłosare 'getting eren' with Kent for its militancy?
The coalboard has for some time wanted io close Kent as they have with ali other periphera. coalfields in the country. The peripheral VIES dre often the most for many different reasons. And the miners in those areas have been 0i coa All the tests show that this better thicker than any we are Working at the moment Deleve this seam would secure a future for Illmanstone ahild Kent. NUM closure of their su lact the Timarscre lieri Dejerse Berza.
Socialist Action 26 July 1985 CAROL TURNER: interviewer TETER HEATHFIELD, general retary of the NUM, ad on 19 Inly on the breakawa.
Notts aud the outcome of the A conference.
THE RULE changes daimed precipitated weakaway went very ep bad been hampaining for, had been campaigning for, Edn't they? How do you feel about e results of your conference?
it sas a useful conference with a large measure of unity. The fact that 75 per Dent of the delegates present voted for coptance of the new rule book was important.
Secondly, concern about some of the new rules was reflected in the two tbirds decision to amend six of those rules. Significantly, had the delegates remained in the conference a further eight could have been amendred.
It was democracy at work. The new rules were not an attempt by the leadership is mer central ok NUM. rule ecognises we're a federal organisation. So to suggest, as some of the media lave, that it was making Scargill's control WYcl the • VINCISC The rules are not changed at 40 year intervals - thev can be changed each year. The rules of the NUM have been modified. If the new rules create some difficulties then I'm sure they'll modified again.
The main changes in the rule book arise from new legislation. We had to respond to the Tory anti-trade union taws in order to protect the interests not only of the national and area leaders, but rank and file delegates who needed protecting. That was done. changes to political funds also had to be recognised and some provision made in the new rule book.
So, troduce new rules designed to discipline people who didn't participate in the strike — lar from 1t: it was necessary to modernise the rule book, to rid it of the Homens demonstration in South Wales in Shefthat Lynk the That much in The The national as bringing during the dispute, tinue.
Notts groups are still in operation.
Sheffield in dicates they're alive and kicking.
was industry but in continue to encourage them.
Significantly, months, be no cashThey've helped considerably.
TUC conferences!
The legal two to the TUC future Labour attemot to inmonth, language and attitudes of the 1940s.
was approved in 1983. Unfortunately, it's taken us this long to do it.
associate membership for women, wasn't it?
leadership were disappointed. We saw associate membership LUTCLICH the groups because of the role they played that we need that movement to conWe need the women's groups to prosper. If we are continuing to campaign for the preservation of jobs and mining communities, then they have a very important role to play. We wanted them to be identified closely with the The vast majority of the women's They're having an annual conference here in mid-August, which They are an important group, not just in the the mining munities. We will do all in our power to in the last three the women's groups on the coalfields have been helping to sustain this organisation financially. We've got we're still under the receiver.
Can you say something about the NUM resolutions to the Labour Party and Hostel.
We sent one to the Labour Party and We're calling for a government to pletely review the sentences and imprisonment of miners. Although, all things being equal, the overwhelming majority of those imprisoned will be out before the nextgeneral election - 9 18 month to try sentences will have been completed -we still feel that an amnesty or a review is essentiai.
This has been highlighted by the nonsense of the riot cases that have collapsed: Orgreave, Coal House in DonCardiff. It's highlighted the hypocrisy and lies that have been levelled against the miners. The cost to the state and the cost to miners have beer ex rolan.
What was the mood of delegates at the What sort of feeling did you get about the lessons they'd drawn from the strike?
I didn't detect any despondency. I thought there was tremendous spirit to carry on the struggle. Obviously, life's very difficult, for miners and for trade unionists.
To all intents and purposes the industry is now being privately managed. Relationships are being destroyed by . MacGregor, who applying autocratic style of management that's creating a determination and a unifying approach. MacGregor will learn can't produce coal by an autocratic method. He can only produce coal by cooperation. The quicker he does that, the better for the industry.
I've just spent the last few days in Notts, where the situation is very confused. There are letters from the Coal Board trying to get miners to sign away their NUM membership. There ficens are meeting he members telling members they're now members of the tingham Union of Mineworkers. Can you say, from the national union's point of view, what the situation is?
We are mindful of what's taking place in Nottingham and have endeavoured to get a judgement to clarify the situation. From our point of view, we firmly believe that Lynk is in breach of the last judgement and, in consequence, the actions that are taking place are in conOur concern is that the National Coal Board is doing its utmost to persuade miners to associate with sweetheart union being promoted the present leadership in Notts. have now an organisation that is planning a great deal of work in the coalfield, and arrest the movement that Lynk is developing and, importantly, persuade people to stay with the NUM. We are pretty confident that we will achieve that objective.
Would you go back a bit, to the point at conference when Lynk and the Notts delegation walked out, and explain what's happened since then?
Well, it was rather a strange action for 'democrats' to participate in a ballot on an he Funeral of Joe Green have the merits and demerits of a rule book and lo vote against because the ballot went the wrong way, Not- to leave the conference.
But it's not really a question of the new rule book because the Notts leadership have distanced themselves from nonsense to say it's the new rules that they are unwilling to accept.
It is pretty obvious that they made up their minds to break away many months ago. situation was developing, from our solicitors that the Notts barristers were prefixing their discussions with 'when we break away' was in February and March before the the strike had ended. by We knowledge. The Notts leadership would have preferred for us to expel them, but we didn't embark on that action because of our knowledge of what they were planning.
Their actions, as far as we were concerned, are illegal: the rule book clearly states tnat tney are members of the NUM. Their attitude to loyalists of the NUM is illegal - the implication being that to remain in the NUM they must sign a form The NUM organisation of the Notts coalfield; if they choose to break away, it is they disassociate NUM. it, and then, the NUM situation.
We knew in April that that precedence we knew - and that That was common I think the recognised their way.
All the agreements are with not with SUlk othet organisation. As far as we re concerned, our actions will be to retain that Sadly, again, we look like being drawn through the courts - using the courts to resolve our problems.
The anticipation of the breakaway was fairly obvious when they voted against rule 30, which gave the national rules the local rules.
Through the press and to their own and Co consistently denied that their intention was to break away. What do you think was actually behind the intention of the breakaway? What do you think they're after?
it's modern variety. of Spencerism. It's an attempt, really, to take advantage in the short term of the high levels of productivity in Notts It's a mercenary attitude, because they see themselves as high earners, and hope that by going it alone they can push that advantage further. What they fail to appreciate is that MacGregor is hellbent on fragmenting the NUM, and they've fallen for that.
By fragmenting the NUM, you ob viously weaken the unity and solidarity that would normally prevail, and that makes it easier for the employers to get
kaway! he NUM! Socialist Action 26 July 1985