mingham Dar 12 The Union of Democratic Mineworkers' bid to buy at least 12 pits is still on, despite protestations from the breakaway union's president, Roy Lynk, that he is opposed to privatisation.
consortium partners include East Midlands Electricity - the very Hectricity supply company that is a the forefront of the 'dash for oas Lynk has also been talking. private sector opencasting outfit A J Budge, which has offered to by all the 21 pits currenty under select by Glen Vorris Chair of St Helens miners support group porters have been a sup Socialist Outlook oretront of setting up the St Helens miners' support group. The town is three miles threatened Parkside colThe group started life after a Socialist Movement Trade Committee at St Helens town hall, attended by around 75 people, including speakers from the NUM and Women Against Pit Closures.
The meeting decided to form a miners support ghoid Markham Main.
The idea is for UDM members to take an equity stake in the company. But mearwhile, RJB boss Richard Budge has been boasting in the energy trade press that he wil cut back hemily on 'overmanning" in the name of 'rationalisation.
Discussing privatisation at a tringe meeting af last year's Conser. vative Party conference, Lynk made the disgusting comment: If rape is inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.
UDM members that want to fight roup despite trade counci that we should wait until the trades council and Labour Party formed Since then we have had weekly meetings, and carried out activities including: • weekly stalls on Saturda just which have raised over €200 or miners' support group issued weekly press state ments to local papers building TUC demonstration in St Helens on November which 3000 people at• sending out letters to trade union and Labour Party branches, asking for affiliation • advertising the North pit closures and defend their jobs should think on all this carefuly. Ar thur Scargill's stance during the 1964-85 pit strike has been proved right ten times over The NUM is absolutoly correct to insist there can be no truck with outand-out scabs such as Lynk or other UDM leaders like Noi Greatorex. But the picture is very different at rank and fie level.
Several hundred UDM members have rejoined the NUM in recent wooks. mary more would follow if the NUM campaigned to recruit campaign.
of action on November 17, and building for strike action in St Helens • trying to set up a coordinating committee of all the coming weeks we will be holding a meeting with the students' union at St Helens college.
Most importantly, we are currently trying to organise a mass meeting with council workers and the NUM build a public sector alliance in the St Helens area. If we are able to do this it will be a big step forward in the strug gle tor jobs and to unite the working class.