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will send you free one of these books: JUSTICE: The Miners Strike 1984-86 by the Campaign Group of Labour MPs On Afro American History b Maicolm :
OR The Struggle is My Lile by Nelson Mandela THE NEWS International dispute has entered its 24th week. This makes it a very long strike indeed — I a fact that is perhaps disguised by comparison to the year long miners' strike.
port to keep going. workers have been up and down the country appealng for this kind of support. Last week CARMEI BEDFORD, from the Sogat clerical branch, was i My tour was arranged by South Waler West Sogat and the South Wales NÚM. The NUM paid for my bed and breakfast and and driver everywhere. We did over 1000 miles of driving. had a tremendous reception everywhere I went. spoke at nine pits, and at two or three shifts at each one, to get to everybody. I was invited into the canteens at the pit heads.
The miners marvellous. Most of them have still not got over the financial effects of their own strike. But they all responded. • Some of them have decided on a weekly levy. Where this isn't possible they are organisSuch long strikes need enormous financial sup From the beginning printing a raffle each week on our behalf, or something like that.
They sending money Sogat every week. This puts our own union to shame After weeks, it has still not imposed a national levy. cokemen s conference the in Tenby. both South Wales miners presi •enl Des Dutfield, Terry Thomas, the vice president, who set whole tour up with Sogat locally.
I went to a big coking plant called Phurnacite where there are about 750 workers who have had a levy for us from the beginning of the strike. It's inCarmel Bedford credible Wales and the South West Sogat should be held up as a shining light. In ad dition to this tour, similar one next week in central Wales, they organising pickets of a collee un depots in thel area, one in Swindon and one in Llantrisant.
They are now planning a big solidarity rally for Cardiff on 20 July, and are asking for people to bring their They hoping it will be addressed Brenda Dean, Tony Dubbins and Gavin Laird would be the first time that tne AbU las spoken our on our behalf.
This shows what possible. Ine rest of the labour movement is wide But OOCU our leadership is failing to muske the appeals on do te business They have just announced ₺150,000 renewec boycott campaign, which 1 Flavour or. But by itself this is not enough to win our dispute.
Since the ballot we feel we are winning. But this has only been made good through the backing of thi rest of the labour moveOur leadership should gel branch secretary to invite a up tol • a week, do an itinerary for them and saturate their area. If the leadership won't do it, we should •set up our own coordinating and do it ourselves. . If we would colla ao lial win the strike within a month.