THE CORTONWOOD strike was the spark that fired the national dispute. The statement issued by the Cortonwood strike committee tells the story of the NCB's duplicity in their own words -for all miners of what to expect from MacGregor's pit closures programme. The men of Cortonwood are on strike because they feel rejected, cheated and Angry at the way the National Coal Board has contemptuously treated them by declaring out of the blue, thạt their collierv is to close in tive week's time, leaving five vears safe workable reserves of some O1 une finest quality coking coal in the ground.
They feel cheated that the Board by their own admissions and actions had them believe that the pit would be worked to exhaustion in 1989-90.
The Board say Cortonwoods lo close because the coal they mine is too good and cannot be sold Markets, they say are gone and nobody wants the product.
The South Yorkshire Salu UNal capacity in the area had to be reduced bv 400.00 tons and manpower by approx1,000 during the next year. Cortonwood had consistently lost money over the last five years, and the Area Director has decided rather than spread the reductions over ine area, cortonwood wa: to cease production on 6 - closed at the stroke of a pen.
The men's case is this. The union agrees that the pit has lost money over the İast five years. Many hundreds of yards of drivages have bees developed told Socialist Action:
There's an ostrich syndrome The HICH would rather bury their heads in the sand. Ollerton isn't threatened with closure, but that doesn't nean to say we're not go ng to lose jobs. And it's the sort of jobs you have the grades, the wages structure. There's lots of people who are going to catch a cold.
Technology is being used to run power. We're facing tremendous diminution of jobs. Computers won't do everything, but the work will be completely deskilled of course.
In years gone by, this pit was bit of barometer or nanonal upinion. Our vote was more oress in alc will c lai tional trend. Recently, our pits has voted in significant numbers against recommendations the union. I can't simply put this down to the fact don't want support the union - it's pressure and it's fear Young marrieds can't get mortgages, so they fall into the hands of money lenders. There's some real • a warning order to open up the remaining reserves auring this time. Drivages are expensive 101lproductive.
In the last two years, the colliery has been worked on a planned loss due to this work being carried out. In order to now work the coal, further drivages will be minimal and there every possibility that Cortonwood could finish on a winning note.
ludicrous when the Director says he cannot sell the coal. It Is known that other areas are to open up workings in the Silkstone 1983, union officials were told that Cortonwood's future was reasonably safe because of the product. Plans were produccu showing that mining tion in 1989-90.
During the last
months:
• A generator plant was installed to utilise methane extracted from the mine;
• As late as January this year, men were transferred from neighbouring Elsecar colliery, men who Welc told thev would be secure to retirement on closure in 1989;
• In expensive refurbishing of the pithead cost of £40,000.
• Other work on surtace improvements still remain half finished.
JIMMY HOOD is the NUM secretary for Ollerton colliery, Nottinghamshire, where miner David Jones died on the picket line last week. Speaking before the results of the Notts strike ballot were known, Jimmy heartache in this village for that reason. And that's one of the main reasons for not coming out in favour of a strike.
The reports I've been getting about this redundancy payment that the union is having trouble because workers want to sell unel Joos. happened in the steel industry. I'd like to take the miners who think the payment is wonderful to Consett they'd see what lump sum payments really But people wno ve never had money before are saying 'oh well, let's have it' £20,000 is two years' wages. Young men will be working for the next 30 years. If they've big mortages now, they will still be big in five years' time.
This union has always been strong, in vanguard of the movement. Now we're in langer of being complete ly annihilated. We're go ng through a very trying period. That's who we'r seeing the scenes we saw at this pit last week People are desperate, they're taking This shows that no pit SaTe plans, whether has reserves We feel that by fighting this closure, we can the folly false cause economies and inhuman, contemptuous attitude of the Coal Board. If any miner considers himself safe he should consider our Cast carefully.
• Extract from the cortonwood strike committee's statement.
desperate measures.
Miners are moderate people. They're not raving lunatics dashing from picket line to picket They're fighting for their very existence. It's sad to see what's happening, but understandable at Area Committee (personal capacity)
miners and conditions on a wide scale.
the Yorkshire miners down. several coaches last week.
the union.
colliery Nottinghamshire.
all of the pits I know of, except Ollerton.
miners - standing side by votes.
Most of Ollerton back at work now We have about half a dozen Yorkshire pickets at gate, and that's why l've not gone in this morning. think there should be a national ballot we'd have won it fortnight ago, now I'm not so sure.
Mal Howarth, delegate to the Nottingham It will be a terrible day if the strike loses. If the strike fails I am convinced the Coal Board will give every area manager the go-ahead to attack The big question on Monday will be if the police allow They stopped We know a lot of Nottinghamshire miners crossed our official picket lines on Friday and that's a sad day for Denis Brown, branch executive Blidworth ! think the press has blown up the violence here in Nottinghamshire. It has been very peaceful in We had a good relationship with the Yorkshire side with them at the nithead to persuade our fellow Nottinghamshir miners not to cross. No-one worked at Blidworth on Friday and we just lost our pit ballot by 22 YORKSHIRE OFICIAL PICKETS NUM
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COOKSON Ollerton on Thursday - all quiet on the picket line