About 3,000 of us marched back into the colliery on 8 March, half miners and half supporters.
the pIl it's reign of terror. The managers read oft a list oi things can be disciplined for on the first day you get back.
You can be fired for intimidating scabs or leaving your work area early or for being late.
I nev are trving to 10. nore the union altogether. The management doesn't be forgotten.
They are completely nored soon the pressure will become too much for them to take.
The management out to get rid of 70,000 miners. They will sack you for anything just to get rid We have to keep our heads low or else We cul The miners haven't been defeated though. were betrayed by the TUC the allu Labou bureaucracy. Even despite this I would do it all again.
IT"S better have fought and stood up for your principles than follow the dictates of this anti-working class government.
yet. The us or over strike's over but the struggie guts oil. Everyday we go to work we are waging a Wal. NUM by the leadership of the Notts area.
Socialist Action talked ing in Notts.
The area leadership has organised to boycott the national ballot on the issue or a levy to support the sacked miners.
With branch elections cos Roy Lyn and his Lynk merry men are also trying prevent the strikers . standing for positions in the union.
They claim they can debar the strikers because tney paid no union dues during the 12 months of une sinike and lney are supposedly no longer in good tinancial stanaing.
"These moves
and they told me no.?
Special rules are obviously catch Graham Naylor out. He tirst ioned the Laboul Party five years ago but at Join the SWP and rejoined He is aware of why the finger is being pointed at him. *Since the been on a lol of miners and miner's wives in this area have been joining the Labour Party. Threat 'They've got me marked down as a threat to their position. People are joining the because their political consciousness has been raised in the strike and they The Party should b welcoming this enthusiastically not trying to push us out.
members of the Tendency have Deer expenca Irom the Graham belives that if Mansfield CLP can get away with expeling him other mining militants will vulnerable to attack.
our Party must be must fought. It's a scandal that NUM militants like threat of expulsion for do• should be doing backing its own class. Following the decision to call off the overtime ban this week has seen more provocations against the Joe Mohammed, striker from Cotsgrave about the situation developdesigned hasten the area's expulsion from the NUM. The union still has capacity to respond, but I don't know which is he best move to make ays Joe Mohammed Eager Why are Lynk Prendergast so eager to ge kicked out of the NUM?
And why are the tactics of the expulsion such a difficult issue for those who are loyal to the NUM?
Contrary to most expectations, the returning strikers have not found themselves to be in beleagured minority.
In fact, since the return to work, the 'recruitment campaign' up working miners who wish to remain in the NUM has really taken off in some pits.
This has been aided by the heavy-handed way the management have cracked down on the they treated so well during the Redundancy ments at Moor Green and Pye Mill, due to shut in June, have been reneged on.
And the considerable numbers of young miners taken on during the strike finding many agreements on training are Delig flagrantly ignored by management.
Getting no satisfaction from the scabs who run the Notts NUM branches, they have had to turn to strikers for help in taking these matters up With their support beginning crumble Lynk Cogane desparate to bring matters to a head. Provoke Unable to walk away from the NUM they seeking to provoke their own expulsion Many the strikers re-thinking their attitude to the expulsions because of these developments.
his lead was excellent The TUC did not want Scargill to be emulated so they agreed policies but sabotaged their implemen. •tation. The rank and file should demand the resignation of the General Council. If that doesn't happen after 3 months we should adopt a policy of withdrawal and stop our 'Some of us feel that ar expulsion might damage this process. It might just break up the closed shop in which is what happened with the Spencer breakaway' said Joe can see the benefits of expulsions, but I can see the pitfalls too The main problem is that the expulsion of the area seems the only possible way of dealing with hardened Real winger like Lynk and Co who hold their union positions for life.
We asked Mohammed what the situation will te with the running for NUM branch elec tions. "The union will find the money in the next week to pay back dues We'll be running in these elections.
levy. Willis, Kinnock and others are calling for unity to fight the Tories. Unity is needed but not unity of the right of the TUC. Their unity is to ensure their own jobs. The NUM has shown that it is possible to push for union rule changes to give more participation to the ran. and file. This should be in all unions.
Saturday April 20
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The Third Socialist Action Miners Solidarity Meeting