Stacks. JON SILBERMAN reports.
AMID calls for tougher action, the NUM started its overtime ban last Monday, 21 September. At first, the ban will be limited to coal cutting ana development WOTK overtime, the union's national executive to 9 at its 17 September on Arthur Scargill said that this * dustrial action that is going to be applied and the decision of our members in the individual ballot vote allows us to siep up te action as the days and weeks go by if we feel it necessary.
ung on mounting support Durham miners leaders described as the 'soft option' adopted by the national executive. They called for a meeting of the executive in Labour Party conference to Durham Durham NUM secretary, Davy Hopper callweekend working, and a time work holiday working. "There is general condemnation the coalfield of the current action as ineffective he said. The Durham area council will be recalled on 5 October to consider the situation.
meeting the NUPE nurses for SIX nurses from St Mary's hospital in Paddington, London. are going to Nicaragua.
l'hey will be taking medical equipment along and have been raising funds for purpose. A Billy Bragg welch brougal in a much needed £1800.
cing their own fares.
They will be staying for THE MINERS have started their action. The entire labour movement must now rally behind them. Old not only for the coming battle in the pits but also for the entire struggle against the Tory government's atYorkshire® excecutive Tuesday, 22 September, also called for 'tougher action' Yorkshire president Jack Taylor reported that 'the beneve Inal you're taking action against the Board, it should be effective. support the miners. The code takes away basic rights put "under the discretion of management' now ready to move into action.
philosophy prevails. But the coal board appeared to be in no such conculatorv mood. They have told Arthur Scargill that in view of the overtime ban they had unilaterally suspended the industry's guaranteed five-day working week agreement - the first time this has happened in 40 years.
boss Sir Robert workers from Sarmcol in South Africa visit the picket line of Senior Colman strikers in Sale, near Manchester, where they are greeted by strike leaders Tony Lowe (righti ano Graham Wyatt (to his right).
The Sarmcol strikers, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) have son, Sylvia Pye, Dot Kelly, Irene Pennington and Marge Short) have rebuffed suggestions that coalfield women are any less in support of the NUM than they were during the strike. 'Once women are told what the code entails' they told Socialist Action, 'they're sure to meone for things completely away from the pit. The complete right to say who works is ed wives' who opposed action against the code as 'propaganda'.
Commenting on the cracking 74 per cent ballot majority in favour of action in the north-west, they pointed out that 'we didn't have that level of support during the strike — so a new unity has been forged in Lancs. ' What would this unity mean? "The ball is now in the Board's court' they said, pointing out that the Women Against Pit Closures group would be there to give suppori. 'We've been ticking over meeting fortnightly. We're Haslam warned that suspension of the guaranteed week could mean miners being sent home if they refused to carry out 'normal' working because of the ban.
Policy
The board rejected the NUM's last ditch attempt to resolve the Illatle. by sidiary, JE Hanger in London itself the scene of a long strike had expressed their solidarity and given Jinancial support. The South African strikers would be visiting other BTR workers.
Contact with the Senior Colman strikers was first made at the Notts miners gala and renewed during the TUC congress in Blackpool.
The Manchester workers are finding increased support for their ' They described media claims of 'unnamnegotiation, refusing talks at ACAS. Instead they insisted that they had the right to decide whether miner works at a ros an a distria. ir respective tribunal finding the miner's favour. A condition of talks was that the existing disciplinary arrangemen has existed for years should be ripped up. cause. Twenty Labour union leaders' Scott at Stillingfleet in the Board denies that he was sacked under the code production for.
'Ever since the strike, the Board have been looking for ways of attacking was suspended for two weeks the dat remined work after the strike. The Board said that I wasn't the type of person they fell fit to be employed industry, talsely claiming that! had serious charges pending against me.
"As Hasiam openly admits, the code would give them the abilty IO victimise anyone they decided "fit" to be employed.
'That people who want a strong and effective which what we iry to have at Barnburgh When look strike action, came OvC We told them ther wouldn't need to aacill.
Burnett said that the reason that the Board parHeulary necaca ine nev code now was because of their plans for flexible working and privatisation They see carrying the union's flag against this. thev ca take action against union leaders trighten the rest the workforce through mass sackings of can out their 'This also goes for dealing with opposition to the six-day working — it's all part of their master plan.
Pits in Selby now produce 60,000 tonnes per week. If they go on to sixalay working, they'd produce more on the sixth day than Barnburgh produces ANOTHER attack on the dock labour scheme is threatened. The Grimsby Landing Company is moving to break away from the scheme In its attempt to make 30 registered dockers Tell all The TGWU is insisting that the company finds alternative work for its employees. The umn as totally rejected the company's plans to use the lem.
porary Unattached Register to reintroduct casual labour into the 'THE CODE has been introduced mainly to sort ou leaders of the trade union movement' Bob Burnett president of Barnburgh NUM told Socialist Action 'It's quite apparent the way they've sacked Te Selby coalfield. Th but he was sacked for carrying out union policy, im plementing Yorkshire's policy of no weekend coa — and that's what the code's designer Bob Burnett in a week. That'll obviously means more pit closures and the concentration o production in highly pro ritable pits. The code aimed to attack the leaders of the opposition to this plan.
Bob Burnett said that following the overtime ban aecision or tae nanonal ex Area Council had Yorkshire reluc tantly called off the firmer Policy is coad taken Scott's sacking Under the original ban, overtime other than for safety was ruled Ou There's strong feeling that the position of the na tional executive needs beefing up he said new area ballot will allow us to step up the action. I one of those who perhaps wrongly favoured calling off the ac tion during the Frickley strike to allow a united national campaign. But the national campaign we had in mind was stronger than what's been adopted 'The present ban must be just first step to much stronger action. docks. The T&G onl accepts use of the TUI in disciplinary cases.
Last month, the union's 13,500 dockers voted by two to one in favour of national strike action tollowing a similar move by the Clyde Port Authority at the Greenock container terminal. The 24 threatened dockers were found alternative employment. Unless a similar solution can be found in Grimsby, another national ballot will be held.
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links should be renewed. NUM members should be given platforms to explain their case. Their struggle against the coal board's new disciplinary code is vital
United! STRIKING engineering
'Still fully backing the miners' MEMBERS of Lancashire Women Against Pit Closures (left to right: Margaret Mitchin-
the pickets
Dock labour scheme threat