AT THE Liaison Committee for Defence of Trade Unions demonstration in support of the miners on Sunday, Arthur Scargill spelt out the negotiating position of the NUM and the impact of the miners' strike on British politics.
I WOULD have telephoned a message earlier today but it might have been bugged and that would have terrible. Have you noticed how the security services are intent on surveillance and bugging operations as far as this union is concerned?
Well there's no problem. people do it every day to us and I'll tell them what they want to hear.
There's no secret about our policy. Our policy is a simple one. We want the right of every worker to work, we wall o soo ulc olo yllclil, wc walll peace in the world, and we want a Deller svstem hat's not something that needs MIS or surveillance. It's something that should be understood by any logically minded man woman in Britain today.
We're now in the twelfth month of the most historic strike of this country. I say that this govern ment at the end of 12 months do not want a settlement of this dispute.
The issue which brought miners out on strike was an announcement by the board to close four million tons of' capacity, close 20 pits, and axe 20,000 jobs. That policy was only runner of a wider and much more vicious one to close 70 pits and close down 70,000 jobs in the industry.
Over the past period we have seen time and again, ettorts made to try and get negotiations - • negotiations that could lead to resolving this disbute. ror those peoble arguing thai they want a resolution of this strike it can be resolved tonight if there's a willingness on the part of the government to get a settlement. But there is no way that this trade union is going to become a signatory to an agreement to close pits and axe jobs in the mining muusuly.
We've written to Peter Walker this weekend and askeo nim to connao une statement of David Hunt in the House of Commons on 4 February that part of the NACODS and Coal Board settlement dealing with a modified connery review proccaure was ononet to the NUM. We were prepared to accept it last October and we're prenared to accent it todav. It that were accepted by the government and the board there could be an immediate resumption of negotiations to deal with the question of the 6 March proposals and the threat to close tive pits But you see this issue is far wider now. Far more political as far as this govern ment is concerned than about a mere determination of the board to close down capacıty.
You only have to read in Labour Week/v what Ned Smith. the recentiv retired industrial relations director of the board said. Hẹ said that the Coal Board and government changed their policy when they saw at the end of September last year that the TUC and its affiliates were not going to deliver the support that was promised at the TUC congress. That's the reason that we haven't had a determination to resolve this dispute. ocen These or a foreI would say that there have been Sone magnificent working class soldarly. I ne ivauonal Union of Seamen from day one have supported this dispute and have not moved one ton of coal. The NUR and ASLEF have not moved any coal and have supported the National Union of Mineworkers.
There have been many other magnificent examples of solidarity both in the physical ana SOGAT and many other unions have sent thousands pounds to our people who are suffering terms that indescribable.
But time and time again I'm asked by people who work in Fleet Street, 'What can we do to help?' I'll tell you what you can do to help. You can tell those who operate the presses and operate the papers that if they continue to publish the kind of filth against our people that they've done over the last 12 months you'll stop the DI CoSs To those on ITV and BBC, for a change inst trv to get on television the case of the National Mineworkers. Stop putting out daily the Coal Board's examples demand that the NUM have at least 15 minutes a week of their own time to put our case. day out in the media, and I'll tell you why. They've suddenly found a trade union leadership that's not prepared to fudge the issue, that's not prepared to sell out or betray, and the only thing that they can resort to is a smear camfinancial sense.
thousands of We want physical industrial almost action to stop the movement of coal and coke paign — a campaign of villification against the leadership of this union.
honour because it means we're doing the job for which we were elected; to represent the workers, their wives and their families of communities.
propaganda and We're being villified day in and government.
In this helping the Mineworkers.
throughout of Europe.
those I regard their smears as a badge of Cling money interests mine- people do not starve retain jobs There are people who say can we the TUC. quicker nave unions.
this alltons win this dispute? I believe that we've horizon. already succeeded in winning a magniticent victorv because we've showr that working people are not preparec down under this Thatcher struggle we've seen the emergence of a whole new dimension in British politics. We've got literally hundreds of thousands of people involved both directly and indirectly in National of we ve got support not only in this country but the That phenomenon, the emergence of the women's support groups, has inspired workers not only here but in every part What the etablishment have not yet grasped is that we've created our own resistance movement comparable that operatea throughou Vorld War II. We've got the suppor groups throughout Europe channel back in order that our But I want to make an appeal to working men and women in Britair We want even more financial support. But colleagues we also want physical industrial action to stop the movement of coal and coke. We want to see urdoe unomss oumio oocrauon unt decisions of the congress last year of It trade unions in the power stations, it trade unions in transport, il trade unions in the whole range of areas in Britain today were to declare their willingness to undertake industrial action in line with congress policy it would bring the National Coal Board back to the negotiating table far than any other facility operated by any other organisation.
I he cost of this dispute has beer horrendous as far as my union has been concerned. But it's been horrendous as lar as the capitalist svstem i: concerned. Six billion pounds it's cost them so far and £120 million pounds as a weekly ongoing cost, a sliding pound and a crisis that we haven't seen since the end of World War II Yes our membership have suffered. Over nine thousand of ou people have been arrested. Over five and a half thousand of our members have been injured on picket lines Four of our people have died on picker Ine aty ane seven or our member:
died from injuries indirect associated with the strike If there's any person in Britain today wants to know why they should give the physical a nd tinancial support to which I refer it's because David Jones and Joe Green gave their lives to the people who are on strike. That's why you should give support to our That's why in front of this great demonstration, I'm calling on government the National Coal Board, to retúrn to the negotiating table with no precon— or anernauvely to agrec lal the new modified colliery review procedure is given to this union as it was agreed between NACODS and the Coal Board.
At the same time I'm warning that this union will not be beaten into submission. As faras we're concerned the fight to save our jobs is even more real today than it was on 6 March 1984.
Stand firm, lift your heads and your eyes and look towards the new We want you to save ourown industry and our jobs. But at the same time as working men and women we want to retain our dignity a nd our self-respect as members of the finest trade union in the world.
ONE YEAR!
4 Socialist Action 1 March 1985