MINERS STOOD for three hours in the biting cold outside NUM headquarters in Sheffield on Thursday 8 March. They were determined that the executive meeting inside would make the strike action in Yorkshire and Scotland official and open the way for action in other areas.
group of miners from Yorkshire Main colliery explained to Socialist Action how the NCB had been provoking a confrontation by trying to reintroduce practices long gone from the pits - such they don't work down the pit.
"Ten thousand pounds redundancy money for vour lob sounds but when you retire at 26 it's got to last a hell of a long time. We want MacGregor's head on a Yorkshire miners applaud national executive backing with Ken Yorkshire?
out of the blue, consultation proceedures. coking coal from three faces, cannot sell the coal strike following ven exhaustion.
trade unions for support.
Will there be a ballot?
Yorkshire Council safe.
How can the strike be won?
In the same way we prepared in 1981 Photo: NEWSLINE the only language Noneerstan kind of support which we got il Talons pledged support. it might as well be at the coal face. What about the stocks at the coal face?
there will be serious trouble in 8-10 weeks What can other workers do?
demonstrations support us with strike action.
Capstick, delegate Yorkshire area council from Stillingsleet colliery has it been necessary to call a strike in Two weeks ago the Coal Board announced the closure of Cortonwood colliery in South Yorkshire without going through normal This pit is producing which gives it a life into the 1990s. The Board claims however that it A mass meeting at the pit took a decision to which the NUM Yorkshire are: council has decided to implement their policy of opposing pit closures, except on grounds of proThe only way to fight pit closures is by a strike We are now asking other areas, and other There will not be a ballot in Yorkshire because the is implementing results of our ballot in 1981 in which we won an 86 per cent majority. At our pit a majority accepted that they must now fight even though their jobs are - strike action and support from other trade unions. This is mich we on and 79. the for the dockers and the NUS have alread . If we can stop coal being moved We will have to look to see how much support we parhaps 15-20 percer of the coal there will have power station workers. Already deteriorated beyond the point of use. And I think At this stage they can give the support asked for by the NUM, send delegations to pickets, attend our invite speakers from the NUM. Eventually it may be that other workers can