420 PEOPLE piled into Penrhiwceiber's Miners' Institute in the Cynon Valley, South Wales last Saturday for the second SOCIALIST ACTION Miners' International Solidarity meeting:
present - from Kent, Lancashire, South Wales and striking miners and women from North Staffs, where 11 of the Dirty 30 were also in attendance.
tatives from the USA, Japan, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, Holland, Sri Lanka and Ireland.
VALERIE COULTAS reports.
Mary Davies, from the Penrhiwceiber Support Group, opened the proceedings welcoming everyone to the village and stressing that the community as whole was fight to defend jobs.
Commentino on other important occasions she said that this meeting WaN a unique event in the life of the village and that she never remember anything to equal it.
The crucial message coming out of this meeting 'Fortress South Wales was al une maders ı las contrary press reports were standing tirm behind the national union leadership.
Dai Davies, South Wales NUM executive, explained that miner sacked there would CVCIУ be four other workers in re ated notsenes julnerabec ato ling hee (ODS oclaust dependence of the steel and rall industries on te mining industry.
He pointed out that although 12,000 miners had been arrested in this dispute and tive had died not policeman had been charged.
The penalties being imposed on miners were the maximum possible for Kay Sutcliffe, from the USA, Japan, Representatives from most of the coalfields were Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, Among the international visitors were representrivial sentences by judges, 80 per cent of whom came from public school and supported the Tory party.
South Wales had no intention of returning to work while lad. dismissed during the strike would not be allowed back to work.
O'Sullivan, Tower Lodge, also stressed the necessity of not giving up the fight at this stage however hard it might be to continue. Panic He told miners they shouldn't nanic because of the media campaign about Le Dack LO WOK mUve. ment.
That the truth was that out of 200,000 miners two thirds were still out on With only 300 scabs ir: South Wales the miners here were not prepared to return until victory had been achieved he said. eladiators in the Roman Miners not Empire would be aver Margaret Thatche tor having put up a good fight for 11 months.
This battle could only be won by staying out and not panicing. from Kent, Anne Jones, from Hirwaun, Nigel Bevan, from Penrhiwceiber, joined with International guests Denmark, Sweden, France, Holland, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Luxemburg and miners from all over the country at the second Socialist Action miners meeting.
But Kay Sutcliffe's speech will probably be the most remembered speech of the day, touching as it dia on all ine temes radicalisation that have taken place in the mining communities throughout nay explamea unal nel father a Welsh miner and that during the 1930's her father, like other muHers trom Durham Scotland and Wales, he had been torced to march South to create mining communities in kent to find work. Kent The Kent coalfield was created out of men literally having to march looking for work, she said.
Why should we have to do it again? nmunitiesa rusto oke communities, just olner people homes families and we'll fight to keep them.
It's no saying there's work elsewncie. she continued, because there isn't any.
If the rest of the trade and labour movement had a leadership like that of the NUM we would nave won inis sirike.
We don't need Norman Willis to negotiate on our behalf We need the TUC and the Labour Party to give us support.
Pin-pointing the need for an alliance between the organised movement the oppressed she asked how long have we the mining communites sal Dack wnile ine blacks, the Irish, the lesolan and gay communl) in this country have been repressed done nothing?
Now we know how the police behave towards us we have to give our continuing support these The miners deserve to win, she finished. They unusı will Frank Elvy for the Labour Campaign for Gay Rights continued Kay's theme in the afternoon session about the alliance of the oppressed.
Reporting on the anti-gay prejudice expressed by a right-wing Labour Party member in his branch he took head on the submerged prejudice of many people against gays and les bians Gays, like the miners, haven't chosen Police The police state makes them so by sexual activities, he told the audience.
What should be private wasn't allowed to be if you were gay, he added.
Just like the miners the press makes the victim of repression the monster, he continued Referring to the AIDS explained Collroversy that sufferers from this disease were not all gay and people were isolated, not because they would inface others, but to protect temselves ally germs.
Explaining his anger at gay people being called 'pooftas' he said that he rounded on the man in the Labour Party. saying "I'm a poofta and I'm going to contaminate you' The hall erupted in apCHION LAMA plause at such a brave and provoking speech.
Anne Jones, from Hirwaun, ended the session with an announcement urging the participants in the rally not use the men-oniv DaT the Legion club in the village Women have stood shoulder to shoulder with the men in this dispute Let's ensure that women men can stand shoulder shoulder drinking together tonight. was apparently to accept coalboard's proposal to get the NUM to sign a written declaration agreeing to the closure of UniCCOnUll. pIls wasn't discussed The coalboard has put forward that option because they want total capitulation. They want us to sign our own death warrant.
The third option was to stand firm. Of course peoSouth Wales It's the 50th week of : next week. The financial hardship is great.
There are 6,000 people on strike in this area alone ana nere s very ntue olner industry around here so the poverty is great.
That is why we have to stand firm and that's what we decided. Not what the 1 co cl lcu I am in favour of a na. tional delegate conference other form of negotiators of any union in the country the three natonal officials, particularly our President Arthur Scargill Historically, there's a lot of reason for doubt the TUC's ability to deliver for the • mineworkers.
The press is out to between SOV Coluso South Wales YorkSUTe walete the most solid. The strike's at a very crucial stage but we can still win if we stand ULUSU We've got no alternative but continue. The Tories are not simply out for Arthur Scargill's head Iney want our organisation That's why they prepared to spend such on policing this strike, im- HUCC auloulils OT mone! porting coal and oil at an! cost.
They want the union. They want the roots of the floyclicill
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Photo: GORAN EKLOF ACTION
id cur unions defend
AcTioN. All out to the NUM
NUCLEAR FREE