Continual union pressure on management at Yorkshire's Frickley colliery has kept the pit going full tilt despite the shutdown threat, NUMbranch secretary Steve Tully told Socialist Outlook.
Alter the Heseltine's initial announcement, production ceased for one week. Now it is back at 25,000 tonnes a week, and a new seam is being developed.
'We've managed to keep on top of the situation," he added.
Only 70 of the 900 miners at the pit had taken voluntary redun.
dancy.
White he supported attempts to win over public opinion, it was obviously difficult to keep the pit situation continually on the tront pages given the number of other crises the Tory government is going through, he conceded.
His advice to other workers threatened with mass sackings was simple: 'Get your banners out and come and campaign with He also called for support for ine unomicial robot or special TUC general council meeting to be held in Doncaster on Novem. ber 25.
Lobby of the TUC general council: Wednesday November 25, 9am, Alansion House. Doncaster Scottish miners' march for and Scottish NUM - leaves Glasgow Saturday November f4, calling at Aindric, Bathgare, Edin- O° burgh and Coldstream.
South of the lorder it calls at Morpeth (November 19); Blyth (20): Newcastle (21); Sunderland (22); Durham (23); Hartlepool (24); Darlington (25). Northerncoat (26); Easingwold (27); York (28): Selby (29); Pontefract (30); Doncaster (December I); Barnsley (2); Sheffield (3), Chesterfield (4): Mansfield (5), Nottingham (6): Stoke on Trent (7/8); Stafford (10); Walsall (1I); Birmingham (12); Coventry (13): Stratford upon Avon (13): Oxton (14/151 Maiden. head (16); Slough (17); Hammersmith (18): central London (91 The North East NUM is ember 19, and Derbyshire NUM is organising a welcome for December 4 when the marchers arrive Chesterfield. 2 Contact Richard Leonard at the Scottish TUC on 041 332 4946 or Brendan Barber at the TUC on 071636 details. 4030 HIVES 21 Nov, 1992 No. 32 We say: The government's strategy for dealing with the pits crisis gradually came to light last week. Under government pressure. British Coal is concluding a oneyear deal with the electricity supply industry which will slow down the rate of pit closures.
There will be no reprieve for the 10 immediately threatened pits. Solidarity linked nurses and miners in the NHS pay battles of 1988: it's time to bebuild the links! But execution of the other 21 will be postponed.
1 this deal is finalised, it would explain why, for example at Frickley pit near Doncaster, one of the 21, new coal faces are being cut; and why at neighbouring Grimethorpe, one of the 10, the mine is being allowed to deteriorate despite court injunctions, The deal has every sing of politi cal expediency. Of course, if the 21 pits are given at least a temporary reprieve it will be a partial defeat for the government. But the scale of mass anger over the closure programme made some delay inevitable.
But in the medium term this will committee review, plus NUM stron. only the sugar the bitter pill of shutThe ten target pits are due to close down in the middle of January- there's only about eight weeks left to save them.
On these pages we list some of the key protest actions taking place in the next few weeks. Dont let up the pressure.