THE MUCH-vaunted back-to-work move ment in the coal fields has fallen far short of what the NCB and the Tories hoped for Even if the numbers returning reached overber there Would stil be 120,000 their target of 10,000 miners on strike.
The core areas of the strike remain essentially solid as far as an effective strike is concerned. The North East, Scotland, Yorkshire are producing amount of coal. Even in most of the so-called 'working pits' in these areas, the return to work has not bribed enough miners to together to produce coal. value has been to produce propaganda for the NCB. North Derbyshire, where about 25 ent are working is the only area where there las been a significant change fter eight months of hardship, and wit ibes of £1.400 dangled before them, the limit f the back to work movement is an incredib ibute to the courage and determination of th however, no denying that the Tories and the NCB have seized the initiative They will exploit that to the full.
The government knows that the strike wil not be broken in the short term by the back to work movement. The miners can continue until the new year. If the strike is not cracked by 19 November - and there is no prospect of that -the government will have to take steps to get coal stocks from pit heads to power stations.
Reports from power stations in Yorkshire, the North East, and Oxford indicate serious possibilities of cuts before Christmas — and virtual certainty afterwards. Many power stations are scraping the bottom of the pile, and equipment is suffering damage as a result. Even dur ing the present spell of mild weather there have een alerts due to threats of voltage rail unions have cut These actions need to be intensified The back to work campaign was designed to weaken and isolate the NUM to prepare the next step. This is to try to break the strike by moving coal stocks to the power stations. That will have to be done by road, and will be a massive opera tion the vital task now is that the labour move ment must rally round the miners, tighten the dockade on the power stations, political initative back from This will not be done by pleading for talks in the manner of Kinnock, Orme and co. It will be done by backing the miners in every possible way.
The TUC should declare at once that any attempt to move the coal from striking pits will be met by solidarity action across the whole move ment.
That power workers will refuse the scab coal.
Oil refinery workers fuel. The rail boycott will be tightened. Mass pickets and days of action will be built. A single statement to this effect backed by actions by the TUC will help to take the initiative from the Tories, and overcome any weakening of morale in the coalfields.
The Labour Party should now openly throw its weight behind the NUM regardless of what Kinnock wants. Every Labour MP -Kinnock - should be instructed to get down to Yorkshire and North Derbyshire and Join the miners picket lines. The NEC should call a national demonstration in support of the miners.
This week the miners have faced their stiffest test so far. They are passing it with flying colours. Now they must not be left to fight alone.
Editor: ALAN FREEMAN Published weekly except two weeks in August and the Signed articles by contributors do not necessarily represent Socialist Action's views. These are expressed in editorials.
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power stations by two thirds. Power workers in most areas are following the TUC guidelines.