sector, join the fight!" Despite management threats, and the pressure to take voluntary redundancy, the miners voted 6-4 for the one-day strike on 2 April. BILLY PYE, a member of the NUM national executive from Parkside colliery, talked to GLENN VORIS of St. Helens' Miners Support Group about the strike. "THE MASS anger which has been apparent since the as put an end to the myth that people are repared to figh!
Miners have shown that where a positive Icad is given, you'll get a positive response. 'he vote to strike was not un. expected, but it was an outstanding vote and a commitment from our members to battle against the closures. At Parkside we got an outstanding 78 per cent vote in favour of strike action.
So the last NEC decided on 2 April as the strike day, and we are getting positive feedback from the RMT about the vote among railworkers for a strike. In any case, even if they don't join us on 2 April, other sections of workers will.
General call
The NUM has made a general call to other trade unionists to come out with us on 2 April. The key sectors we would like to see coming with us are the power workers unions and public sector unions; these are key not only o cerence or the miners, but also to throwing back the whole government offensive against the unions.
The NUM is producing a national leaflet appealing to all unionists to join us. Alter 2 April we'll have to see from the reaction of the membership and the government what kind of action is necessary as a follow-up. Flashback to 1974 strike ballot Aspa are con red play STUUUS are concerned. have been invaluable in mobilising support and getting our message across to other workers.
Broaden fight
But now, my view is that they can help further by broadening out the struggle Public sector workers fighting for jobs The pit camps are very much the day-to-day focus of our campaign; it is especially useful to get other workers to come and give them a boost.
I'ma socialist and have been in the Labour Party for several years. In the party there has been a fundamental shift to the risat, orcnestatta by propi like Kinnock, who portrayed it as the only way to win power.
But if there's one thing this policy has achieved, it is to put in people's minds that there's no real difference between the two main parties; both seck to replace policy and principle in the pursuit of being in government.
The Labour Party need to adopt and put forward a full Prostamme for socialism based upon the nopes ana aspiradons of the working class as a whole.
Ana we neea to make sure that people in the Labour Party learn from 1984-5, when the Labour leadership didn't support the miners.
This means that the Labour left has to get itself organised it also has to fight for policies which would defend Clause 4, and scrap all anti-trade union hese Dings are the basis for These things are the basis for going further reintroducing policies in favour of public ownership. and bringing back all those industries privatised by the Tories into public ownership.
To get this left fightback, the different currents of the left have to co-operate among themselves, forming groups which support the Socialist Campaign Group al consatuency sever Since October the miners' campaign has gathered pace; I'm sure that we'll continue to gather strength by linking up with others under attack. But the TUC leadership has no understanding of the situation The problems of the working class will not be solved by doing deals with the government or the CBI. The only weapon we have to force a change is mass strike action. It's through that we'll show that we won't accept any further attacks on our class."