percentage of the 26,000 miners in this area.
Mass picketing has been successfully carried out Abercwmboi, St John's, Maestag WomAgainst Pit Closures have been actively involved in this picketing.
Women Супheidre the pithead baths for over 16 hours and prevented scabs going underground and from washing up after their shift!
unionists have joined our picket lines The bus workers branch of the TGWU have given the miners theil unequivocal support. Of the 28 coaches booked by the NCB not has carried back to work. The buses were not driven out THE NATIONAL Coal Board's plan to starve the depot or drivers refused to cross picket lines.
Bus workers understana unal ll une mines alc closed their jobs will be on tract work for the buses is provided the Coal Board in South Wales.
and Mark Thomas Where strike breakers have entered collieries the withdrawn safety cover, implementing ensuring the rapid closure of the pit for fear of flooding. have been sent by the union explaining that they will be expelled from the NUM for their anti-union action.
But the most important reason ot all toI the failure of this back to work movement in South Wales is political: South Wales has lost more col lieries over the last ten years Illall other coalfield. Strikes There nave beer numerous strikes against pit closures. 1981 threatened to become a national strike and forced Thatcher make a Uturn on nit closures. A few months later it became clear that hatcher's promises were paper thin.
year then the South Wales coalfield has been forced to take action against pit closures. But balloting nationally did not produce •a sufficient majority for a tional strike. The NCB consequently succeeded in closing an average of five pits each year.
Picket South Wales miners at the beginning of this strike knew that it was make or break for us. Thatcher will never starve or bribe the miners back to work. We have far too much to lose if we ever go back on her terms.
the Cynon Valley there is already 26 per cent unemployment and 90 per cent of teenagers leaving school will not find work or at least a year Sixty per cent will still be out o work three • later.
Thatcher has given us no choice but to fight. MacGregor. These links were exposed in last week's issue of the Miner.
The Sunday Times Thatcher on matters of SLaLC Hart freelance
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miners back to work has flopped in South Wales. Even if the NCB figures of 77 are true, this is a tiny
reported that Hart is part a group 'advising Mrs