miners in, the gaffer's or the national?
Breakaway leaders they controlled it, it was a seab union meeting' At Linby pit, Les Dennis went along meeting with 80 or so other strikers. They clearly outnumbered Lynk and Lynk supporters. After attempts by the chair to stop questions and evict questioners, a resolution of support for out of order.
At Welbeck, Mark marched out with others when branch officials made clear the meeting was of the Notts breakaway. At Ollerton and Blidworth it happened reverse. Both their loyalty to the NUM Miners have been told: 'If you don't want to be in dues. management have circulated miners asting if they want to 'opt in' to the NUM, a de facto recognition of the breakaway.
If dues are stopped they they take management's offer to make payDemonstration in support of the strike Mansfield May 1984 walked out of the mineworkers national conference there has been much confusion in the Notts coalfield. What union are the have organised a series of branch meetings to try and tell the men that they're now in the Nottinghamshire Union of Mineworkers. •We've got our hands tied behind our backs with this legal business', said Mark Hunter from Welbeck colliery. If we controlled the meeting, it was national. If ment direct to the national they automatically recognise breakaway. 'It's our union. We're not giving it to Lynk and Co.,' said Billy Seeton Welbeck.
Paul Galloway described the Thoresby meeting. 'It tional minute he said, 'but the branch officials made clear their allegiance lay with the Nottinghamshire of Mineworkers, not the natlonal.' 'We tried to use the meeting as a platform to get our views over to as many miners as we could, explaining the significance of the Spencer Wes will resist any attempt to break up the union. 'It's a bosses union like it was before, said Mary Hallum, whose Edwinstowe sacked support group helps look after Thoresby's sacked striker, Alexander Denham. 'But it's difficult to get this through to people of this area when they're thinking only of money and not their future. It's hard when you're on your own, but there's a lot more could be done Distributing the latest issue of The Miner has been, LENC tirs1 step towards a campaign to keep Notts national.
reinforcement is urgently needed. Regular NICCHINES held between the national inion and NUM supporter from the Notts area. Plans are already under way more literature for public and pithead meetings, as well as a demonstration and rally in Hucknall on 24 August.
Railroaded Support from the wider movement is only Just beginning. Resolutions condemning the breakaway retusing it recognition are filtering through some of the Notts Labour Parties.
The Nottingham Trades Council met last week ang heard Henry Richardson describe the situation for the NUM. We can win in Notts, he said, by putting our case in deicnice of the national union and explaining the cent of the men took Miner. refused it, or threw it in the Only vany few bin when they realised what it was I think if we can give it to them their hand then they'll redu If it's delivered properly throughout the coalfield then we'll get But it's no good giving them The Miner this : week then forgetting it. We've got to keep up the pressure on the Notts coalfield by having another edition, or Drodasneet within a few weeks.
We need a high profile, and to organise many public meetings as possible with national figures. Hopetuly we'll get enough information out and enough publicity that we'll actually women were among the first to organise support for the help build support for the national union. As soon as the latest issue of The Miner arrived, women were at was picket manager during the strike, and to Sutton.
get lot who worked through the strike to attend these meetings. they hear the arguments - the truth ther we'l get decent return on the vote.
If it's left like it was in the strike, if the Notts new uses • Ine paganda, the same type of anti-Scargill literature which was aimed at trightening men by talking about violence - if that same profile's kept up, then I think Lynk will achieve his two-thirds vote.
But if there's cationa tonto hand the national facts are put forward - the facts of what happened the annual and the truth's brought out, then the men will know that if their officials had • stayed in the union they could have changed certain ruk democratically They're always talkin tended to carry it out. If th men realised, then we couk have success and win ballot The women feel they'v got to take a lead It's ou coalfield. We'll whatever's necessary make sure that the Nott doesn't break the national And if it does eventuall happen, we want to mak there's enough DULC who stay with the nationa to be able to go on and cam paign to bring people back The Notts Wome Against Pit Closures is try Publicity as possible to peo to out mucl ple who supported during - to ur formi them what's going o in the coalfield, and to mak them aware that whatever' happening this could happen to their union The problem is not onl a breakaway right-win!
It will' be the non membership whicl would also come out of this That's what this govern mentis hoping will happen In the long run that's wha it's all about: the destruc tion of the •movement
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Photo• MARK SALMON SINCE THE Notts delegation
Notts women get organised TRUE TO their role throughout the strike, Notts
NUM in Notts. Notts Women Against Pit Closures, a delegate body of all the women's support groups in the coalfield, is circulating the resolution printed below to
Notts WAPC chair, GWEN MeLEOD was among them. She's been to Silverbill, where her husband lan