(personal capacity)
ON THURSDAY 18 July the NCB announced the closure of Penrhiwceiber colliery. The pit is situated in the Cynon valley, where the loss of 569 jobs plus the jobs related to the pit will send unemployment soaring. The NCB has used the economic argument to close the pit because they have no other excuse.
million which means that we have lost, on average, £67 per ton. The NCB has played a very clever public relations game and has said that it has given us a fl million coal face which is not producing enough coal to make it profitable — and that it would be cheaper to mine the existing reserves from the Deep Navigation, a neighbouring pit.
These statements true but witnout other information are completely misleading. In fact the pit has had no investment in the key areas, and it is this Inal makes i allncul lo coal Penrhiwcelber. use are more suited to a mining Husculi than producing coal mine.
We have the conditions to produce our target easily. In the NCB engineer's own words, the coal faces are in very good and cellent COPULON But because of the time spent waiting for clearance efficient working is not made On the Coal Board's estimate the pit has lost £21 possible.
With regard reserves in the pit. board spent £1.5 mile= developing access to a new seam which would give 20 years' life to the colliery Then it abandoned wastlig all tae time, effort money •he management has robbed us of the right to mine this area.
The coal board also claims that vandalism during the strike has damaged the future of the pit. We ed security for for increased security years and have been told that the police were not available. plant, broke the there were over 400 police on hand at once to escort him through the gates.
We calculate that given investment in transportation of coal to the pit top year even on NCB figures.
pose closure and take the Dit into the review procedure. The tactics we employ will be crucial to the future of Penrhiwceiber.