RAILWORKERS at the Coalville Freight Depot in Leicestershire have been united in their refusal to shift coal since April. management to retreat on more than one occasion since then.
months, management is again up to its dirty tricks to try and get the trains carrying coal back on the road.
Last week, Roy Butlin, leader the guards, and local miners' eader, Malcolm Pinnegar, were warmiy weicomed In East London by local support groups, by rail members. Butlin explained why moral and financial support for Coalville's 150 railworkers is more than ever needed, and why he plans an urgent return trip present nis members' case to wider labour movement audiences.
seven long mollths,' Butlin said, 'Coalville ral workers have had to exist in our tightly knit community where many of our next door neighbours working miners.' with only a handful of the 2500 miners to as "The Dirty Thirty' that surprislg railworkers striking nes codoorde coser.
Freight Depot has strategic imporTheir unity has forced However, faced with the onset of the cold winter tance in Butlin's view. 'My members shift 135,000 tonnes of coai each week. We supply coal for power LOSION The Brithy inl used all British Dideot power station. We shift other things - like ro bur our mainstay s but our mainstay coal'.
NUR guard.
Butlin insists that if management gets a single coal train on the road at this stage of the struggle, it will have a devastating ef'And it will put off a bit further, the day of victory which will come with the first power cuts .
Management this only too well. Fron Day One of the dispute — when NUR members were getting only £l a day strike management tried to pay send home men who refused to move coal, rather than giving them alternative work. Four days of action forced retreat. This same issue led to the threat of a 24 hour on August by both major rail unions at Derby. It was averted only when management backed down. Closure The latest efforts are the most serious. past few weeks Mallage ment has tried the old scare tactic of presenting closure plans the depot. 'Shift coal by Monday,' Coalville's railworkers were lola, or a five point closure plan will Separate meeting drivers other railworkers considered this threat. Both came up with the 'We'll continue to support union policy.
This scare tactic was even a bit too flimsy for BR's head office. National business manager for coal, Leslie Smith, in denying a closure plan existed, even had the cheek to imply the closure plan was a figment of the union's imagination!
Hand in hand with methods, ment has targetted vulnerable members at the depot in attempt to break up the unity. For instance, signalmen with only few years left was recently approached by the manager as part of the campaign to get the coa trains moving.
A major source of concern to all railworkers the : of scab lorries shift the coal. 'Consider our signalmen from their signal box, all they can see is convoy after convoy of Butlin. 'It's soul destroying to be idle and see the work being done by scabs.' Transport member will allow coal to be loaded on to scab lorries. All coal transport will return to rail.
that rank and file miners who will be the refuse to load the lorries will be even more vigilant when they are back on the job if thev know of the sacrifices railworkers have made places like Until that time, as one striking miner advised the signalman, 'Don't look at the columns of scab lorries on the road: • look up to the sun. Because as the sun sets earlier each day, victory is in sight.' Stop the trains!
Support the Miners meeting Hounslow Civic Centre Lampton Rd, Hounslow Speakers:
Peter Heathfield Whitwell Women's Action Group Organised by Hounslow Miners Sunport Committee • disabled access NUM OFFICIAL SLEF • NUR ARE LATTH US
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