THE REMAINING coal mines could prove gold mines for new private capitalist owners ready to bush through measures that would never have been tolerated before - the abolition of national wage bargaining, introduction of 12 hour shifts and generalised six day week.
Two British-owned multinationals, RT2, which operates coal Sin Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea, and asset-stripping king Hanson Trust, which owns the world's largest private coal mining company, Peabody of the USA, have indicated interest.
Another possible contender is Anglo American Corporation of South Africa. British Coal chairman Neil Clarke is a former Angle director, who spent ten years with the company.
Coalite smokeless fuel producers Anglo United have withdrawn from the race beScargill points the finger at the Tories cause the severity of pit cuts has left the operation too small to be of interest.
Ryan group, the largest player in Britain's private coal mining sector, which includes 144 underground mines and 72 opencast (surface mining) sites has already said it wants to take over at least one of the Welsh pits. Smaller companies such as Budge Mining and Young group may also be in the market if British Coal is carved up.
Al one stage, a management-employee buy-out centred on the strike-breakIng Union of Democratic Mineworkers looked a strong possibility.
It would have had strong political appeal to the government as a massive boost to new realism in the labour movement. But the depth of the attack against even UDM pils announced last week now seems to rule this option out.