actions like the These are expressed in THE BREAKDOWN of the latest round of talks between the NUM and the NCB, virtually eliminates the possibiliof a compromise solution to the miners The government has decided on a fight to the finish. The battie now facing the movement not just the NUM iS fold: to bring the power cuts into play as rapidly possible, to defeat the High Court attack on the NUM.
At the ACAS talks the NCB made important retreats from the position they had adopted at the start of the dispute eight months ago. Then, MacGregor was demanding NUM acceptance 'management's right to manage' in whatever way it saw fit. MacGregor's demand was for a blank cheque the NUM which would allow the NCB to get rid of 70,000 jobs and VOIL This the NUM steadfastly refused to acwithdrawal of this demand Macuregor is a considerable step 101• ward the It means that the NCB has been forced to abandon MacGregor's plan tor the rapid, wholesale restruc turing of the coal industry. The sting in the however, was the Board's attempts to secure agreearound biccculical slightly longer term approach to the same ena MacGregor's comFoR 800 years we have tried to civilize that unfortunate race-theIrish. plaints /about the union's unwillingness to accept a compromise intended to conceal these facts. His statement that the 'sad thing is that, despite our efforts to reach compromise, nobody else seemed to be interested. It is like running up against a brick wall is a real tribute to the principled stand of Conunluc tion under The anullici body, without tion, was intended acneve before LIC MacGregor.
were to would extremely vulnerable. The Board while exhave great winnin the talks.
In lne the the GMBATU Tories can move of the stocks by roast, it ithe ae stocks by road, it will A PIECE "THE ACTION But the attempt has apparently been a total tailure...
use to them at the power stations, given the solidarity action being taken there.
A further problem for the NCB is the ballot deciNACODS The failure to reach agreement on the review procedure puts NACODS under new pressure to deliver on its pledge of strike action With 82 per cent for a SACODS the ballot, the production of coal in Nottinghamshire other areas. This would eliminate the 700,000 tonnes of coal currently being produced. NACODS has a clear interest in fightin alongside the NUN against the closure plans.
But the Tories are not going to roll over and die The battle running against them, but they Will fight all the more desparately for that.
The High Court action against the NUM is the next weapon they will se.
they succeed questering NUM funds without meeting response from the labour movement, they will quickly consider moving against other unions who are supporting the miners The key question for the Tories now is breaking the solidarity actions. The attack on the NUM is not a side-show. The Jabou movement must meet the challenge.
Victory the beginning the government has relie on keeping TEne miners isolated from the rest of the movement. The lessons of the NGA They seem determined to reject the joys and delights of British DADS JOE Young pickets support the strike dispute were very much in their minds.
The Tory strategy of breaking solidarity action without legal moves has failed. The decisions at the TUC, and at Labour Party Conference, have seen to that. But the governmen still hope that the TUC will back off in the face of a major legal attack.
A fight must be waged to force the TUC to deNUM, to prepare for general strike to defeat the courts. The movement must also swing behind the task of building reinforcing the solidarity with the miners. blockade on movement of coal needs to be strengthened, as does the action in the power stations Finally to get political support for the miners there is the need to build a Party/TUC demonstration in London to build solidarity.
But at least they've stopped assassinating horses....
Socialist Action 19 October 1984