Traditions of the great strike £20,000 if the closure of the pit is resisted and he ends up losing his job anyway? Unless that question can be answered there is little chance of present round of closures since the miners themselevs will demand that the closures are accepted. In some pits which are faced with possible closure but where no closure has yet been announced there are miners pressing the NUM to negotiate closure in order to meet the April deadline; what is to be said to them which will give them a real alternative?
Scargill points the way when he says that ultimately the only way is to defend jobs is by strike action — however difficult that may be. The problem is that as time goes on the situation gets more difficult. There is a gun pointing at the heads of the miners and that gun needs to be removed if jobs are going to be defended
An attitude has to be developed that it is possible to ge strike action directly threatened pits as well as in the ones which are seen as more safe. The stronger pits have to be linked more directly to the ones faced with imminent closure. At the same time it has to be recognised that no pit is safe. Cwm was seen as a "safe" pit. The April deadline itself is designed by the NCB to divide the miners. This situation has to be challenged by the development of direct action. strategy of this sort needs thrashing out by the miltitants in the NUM and must be advanced throughout the union. Time is very short. Threatened pits should meet together nationally and formulate a policy to be put to Area Conterences oi the Union. The limited action begun points the way to this if it is adequately developed.
Ware being revived In the solidarity been some positive developments with the National Justice resisting the Campaign.
Othe bureaucratic removal of the original secretary, who was doing a very good job, in order to replace him with someone who was less critical of the right wing of the labour movement, the recent meeting in Bolton was far more constructive. It is important to build Campaigns, such as the inaugural meting of the South East Region Campaign to be held in London on November 8. mines in prison Kent and Dean Shankland from support for them must be maintained. The two Fryston miners recently released from effectively show the problems
Pace. Their pit was closed whilst they were in prison. Three out of four pits have now in the been closed in the Castleford area with the
Gloss of 2,500 jobs. going president miner at Ollerton who played a leading role in the great strike, has been sacked by Loging at the enid of the Nottinguy. A management and the way they sacked Paul Whetton it will be another frame up. On Wednesday Ollerton miners disrupting production, in protest against the sacking. members of the scab UDM, despite the which has fact that UDM official went to the picket
Kline to urge their members to cross.
in one-day actions. campaign there have for Mineworkers After the friction caused by stand in the Regional to none. His in the NUM. Although there are now only three - Terry French from Hancock and Russell South Wales the courageous one. these miners for transferred At the same time the sackings are still vice of Nottinghamshire NUM, Campaign! sackings! make it total! Durham! 500 October 16, struck, seriously blackmail! Many of the strikers were This situation makes it very important to President! Socialist Viewpoint No. 14 November-December 1986 p15
PHOTO: John Harris (IFL) strengthen the NUM leadership at Area and national level to develop a fightback against this kind of action and defend the leadership of Arthur Scargil. In this respect the decision of Terry French to
Othe forthcoming election for national vice president of the NUM is a big step forward. He has a record of struggle against the state repression faced by the miners during their strike which is second
Selection as vice president would bring the issue of the victimised men right back into the centre of the stage
Terry French's decision to address the Justice Campaign fringe meeting at the Labour Party conference was a very
At the meeting he said that whatever happened to him, he had always been a miner and woud remain a miner for the rest of his life. He has now been victimised by the prison authorities
attending the meeting by being from open prison back to maximum security *Halt the pit closures, defend jobs! *Support the Justice for Mineworkers *Defend the victimised miners, stop the *Make the overtime ban national and *Extend the strike action started in *Challenge the April deadline, stop the *Call a conference of threatened pits to discuss a plan of action! *Build an effective national rank and file movement to fight for such apolicy! *Support Terry French for national Vice