Arthur's
ding to the press.
OVER 5,000 MINERS piled into Sheffield City Hall last Thursday evening to listen to Arthur Scargill at the second of the five NUM rallies. It was 'King home ground and it was an unforgettable rally. Every speech made was applauded most with standing ovations, songs and chants of 'the miners THIS INDUSTRIAL dispute is now the longest in the history of British trade unionism, and over the past months we have seen in the media time and time again suggestions that miners are drifting back to work.
It must be right! It's in the Daily Express! It's a good drift back accorListen to this. 'The National Coal Baord said today that 53,000 miners are back at work.' That is dated 6 November. They were referring to the 7 November — a day in advance!
25 June, the National Coal Board announced 'Miners drift back to work. Sixty thousands have now If there's anyone in our move. ment, if there's anyone in this union, thinks for one moment the media is going to paint a picture in support ot miners who are on strike fighting for jobs — they're living in the proverbial cloud cuckoo land.
On 6 March MacGregor announced the pit closure plan. That plan they said was designed to bring supply and demand into balance.
Now that's sound and economic Bringing supply into with demand means the closure of 20 pits. It means the loss of 20,000 jobs. It means the destruction of mining communities, of a culture, But that's not the end of the story. It's simply the beginning. Because this policy lall MacGregor's tactics are to close 70 pits and destroy 70,000 jobs.
And I say to those who are scabbing in Notts: they'll be your jobs that'll go as well as ours.
One of those ITN news broadcame up to me and said:
'Don't you think that your members have suffered enough and that by now they're very poor? Don't you think they'll drift back to work?' response was this. My members have suffered and endured hardship that you can't begin to comprehend. But there's one thing thal they know, that you'll never know:
that they'll not always be poor. But those that have scabbed will forever And let's go back to what Petel Heathfield said in an excellent speech Even those who have scabbed would be treated like lepers by the Coal if we went back work Let's make our position clear in this hall. Not only will the Baord treat them like lepers.
We'll treat scabs like lepers!
Our demands are not too much. In fact our demands are far too modest.
The only people demanding in this dispute are the Coal Board. They re demanding that this union become signatories to the closure programme.
They're demanding that we decimiate united will never be defeated'.
But the rally was not simply jubilant. The problems of the strike were addressed. Socialist Action decided to give you a flavour of the event by printing a series of extracts from the major speeches below.
the north east coalfield, from 17 pit to 4. They're asking us to make a agreement that wipes out 60 per cer of the Scottish coalfield.
We refuse to become partners t an agreement to destrov 70 per cent ( the South Wales coalfield, 25 per cen of the Yorkshire coalfield, and 50 pe cent of the Derbyshire coalfield. I think I'm speaking on behalf c every mirer in this magnificent rall when I say not only will we no become partners to an agreement o that kind but we will not sign awa one pit or one single job.