'Scab' miners desert the national union
The July annual delegate conference of the NUM stand for re-election next year,
(National Union of Mineworkers), was followed by the conference. However, the proposal to grant associate formation of a breakaway scab union — a development labour movement. was defeated by one vote
BRITAIN, which will polarise the British membership to by miners wives support
- a real blow to the solidarity that was developed during the strike. This
At conference itself there had been an overwhelming defeat was mainly a result of opposition from Comvote of confidence in the national leadership and its munist Party-led areas of South Wales and Scotland.
conduct of the year-long miners' strike. An attempt by
But the most significant development at the conferthe Nottinghamshire area delegates who worked ence was the removal from national office of Roy through the strike to censure the NUM executive was
Lynk and David Prendergast, overwhelmingly defeated.
Rule changes which give the national union more miners in the Nottinghamshire area who worked control of the local areas and remove the necessity throughout the strike. It was this decision, combined under the Conservative government's anti-union laws with the rule changes, which provided the excuse for for Arthur Scargill, the left wing NUM president, to the area to form a breakaway union.
P. McDERMOTT
The National Executive had recommended that only Lynk be sacked and
Prendergast suspended. But Ken Capstick
Yorkshire area successfully moved the sacking of Prendergast reflected Scargill's own. The breakaway union is a very important development in the British class struggle which will have far-reaching consequences for the labour movement.
It is quite clear that the National
Coal Board NCB) and employers' organisations were determined to push through a split in the NUM. They will now devote major resources to ensuring its survival. It will provide the NCB with a much improved opportunity to push forward the restructuring of the industry.
In addition to the 20,000 redundancies management have not denied reports that a further 50,000 redundancies will be announced in the future. It could help the basis for a decentralised industry, and create the conditions for privatisation. In the shorter term it could lead to a restructured pay system, with greater emphasis on wage met representatives of the breakaway two days after its formation and pledged recognition, and is even talking about paying Notts scabs a "loyalty bonus'
This is clearly aimed at encouraging other right wing areas, such as Leicester and South
Derbyshire, the Colliery
Workers and Allied Trades Association
(a breakaway in Durham) and the white section COSA to join with
For the TUC and Labour Party leadthe breakaway poses a major miners of whom 15,000 voted with
Lynk against the rule changes, and
6,500 with the NUM. At the meeting which decided on the breakaway, the vote by NUM branch officials was 228 to
The Notts area has long been affiliated to the Labour Party as a right wing of parliament] backed by miners, Don already attacked Scargill and declared that he is 'still a Labour MP'. The formal position of the Labour Party is that only TUC affiliated unions can affiliate to the Labour Party. But for Neil Kinnock fighting the Scargill Factor" is the overriding political concern. The link between the left of the NUM and the left of the Labour Party was clear in the strike. It has been made clearer by the decision by the Bennite wing of the Party to draw up a Bill for a future Labour government to grant amnesty to all imprisoned miners, reinstatment for miners sacked for union activities, compensation to the union for the fines and losses it incurred through the courts, and compensation to individuals for losses incurred through fines,
The conference of the miners coincided with the final week's campaigning in an important by-election in the Welsh constituency of Brecon and Radnor. Labour came second to the SDP/Liberal Alliance. The Tories came third, with their worst by-election result for many years. The Tories electoral popularity has been in continuous decline since their handling of the miners' strike highlighted their lack of concern for the problem of unemployment. But Kinnock promptly blamed Scargill's call for a Labour government to pardon imprisoned miners and sack the existing NCB management for losing Labour votes.
The Notts breakaway has said that it wishes to remain affiliated to the Labour two leaders of the scab Party. If Kinnock openly rejects their media will present this as an endorsement of Scargill.
The TUC has similar problems. The trade union bureaucracy has a healthy of self-preservation. It is very and has never done so in the past. But it 'Scargillism'. It is therefore likely to attempt to play a mediating role, to try and 'heal the breach'. It will certainly not take the stand that it should - for all-out war against the scab union. Instead it will take an even-handed approach. This will allow TUC leaders to link up with those forces who remain in the NUM who are hostile to Scargill.
These forces are already developing around the Communist Party. The rule on associate status for women were rejected with the support of the CP. The CP were also opposed to other rule changes. Indeed the South Wales and voting with the right against the changes. However it was clear that the price for Scargill would be far too heavy, and would not result in the Notts-area staying in.
George Bolton, vice-president of the Scottish area, has stated that, 'It is not a uniform view that miners strike to save the industry. Instead the CP is turning towards a campaign publicity to win 'public opinion' against pit closures, rather than the mass action proposed by Scargill. The CP and the right also succeeded in watering down a motion to TUC congress in September for a call for a future Labour government to grant amnesty, to a call for a review of all cases. A link-up between the Labour and TUC leaders and forces in the union would be a serious threat to the Scargill leadership.
The real problem for these forces
International Viewpoint 29 July 1985
and the tions for re-uniting the miners union.
NCB's intransigence, thoroughly rotten nature of the Notts leadership. But the political aim of the exercise will be as much to isolate and defeat Scargill, not to privide any solu-
Socialists must have the clear stand of calling on the Labour Party and the TUC to wage war on the scab union with all means possible.
SOLIDARITY WITH VICTIMISED MINERS In the aftermath of the miners' strike forty miners remain sacked and nearly eighty are still in prison, many serving harsh sentences. So far 173 sacked miners have been reinstated though
Interview with Notts miner many of them have technically been reemployed, thus losing the benefits of many years of previous service. The
National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)
At the end of the week-long July Annual conference of the National of Mineworkers (NUM), leaders of the Nottinghamshire area announced their decision to walk out of the national union and form a breakaway union, saying they did not agree with the rule changes agreed by the conference. The majority of the Notts area had scabbed during the year-long miners strike. It is estimated that some 7,000 miners in the area will remain with the national union with approximately 10,000 in the breakaway union led by David Prendergast and Roy Lynk. An estimated
5,000 had already left the union altogether.
This action by scab miners was a repeat of that taken in the Nottinghamafter the British general strike. It led to the shire area 60 years before, setting up of the so-called Spencer union, which, unlike today, involvea the Notts region as a whole. This scab union collapsed within 11 years
International Viewpoint spoke to a member of the Nottinghamshire area of the NUM, who remained with the strike till the end, about his reaction to the news. Paul Galloway of the Thoresby branch of the NUM and a supporter of Socialist Action, a British revolutionary Marxist newspaper, described how he hoped that the new scab union could be defeated in less time than it took to get rid of the 'Spencer' union.
What happened at the delegates walked out saying they would not accept the rule changes. They had conducted a ballot before the conference in the region in which 72% had voted against the rule changes and in favour of pulling out of the national union in the event of the changes being passed. At the conference itself, the region were very isolated. For example they put a motion condemnthe national leadership's conduct the strike at one stage couldn't even get a seconder for it.
What will be the people like yourself who wish to remain in the national union?
July 7], the left strike leaders in the Notts area had a meeting in Sheffield (the location of the national headquarters of the union)
with the national leadership. At meeting they decided that there should
Prendergast and Lynk had been sacked.
We also want an undertaking from the
Labour Party and the TUC that they will not recognise the new union. The
NCB, at the moment are pledged to negotiate only with one union, but Ian
MacGregor has been trying for a while way so I wouldn't think they would go down that path although Nottinghamshire will try to get them.
Q. Did you expect this to happen?
A. Yes, but we never wanted it to happen. We were never in favour of expelling the Notts area areas. But if you are abide by the of the union then you can't be in the club.
This is very very serious indeed for us. It means refighting the fight of our grandfathers. I was in other day and people were talking about old man, about eighty years old, he said that my grandfather had refused to join the Spencer union and was good because 'Spencerism' was just a tool of the bosses, he said. It took eleven years to defeat Spencer, and we have to do it in less time than
What are your chances? If the LP and TUC aren't mealy-mouthed like they were in the strike and if they stick by their affiliated membership and if the left like Socialist Action put their whole weight behind defeating the breakaway union, then we can make
Q. What's it been like at work since national conference has now com vened a special conference for October to discuss industrial action, if the hasn't been a significant ment of sacked miners. Ald the left wing campaign Labour MPs (members of par it has launched a national for victimised miners major rally at this years ann Party conference. We the text of the appeal issued NUM and call for a cam international solidarity to be
In the wake of twelve months industrial dispute some 700 miners have been sacked by the National Coal Board. Despite all reasonable arguthe National Union of Mineworkers and representations to
• Commons, Ian MacGregor refuses to reinstate them. Most have been dismissed for trivial or no offences and the majority are union branch officials whose crime was to fight for jobs and mining communities. Other miners languish in jail charges arising directly from the
The Union is pledged to assist all our members, to provide support for their families and to seek their reinstate. ment. The Miners' Solidarity fund is the only authorised body to work with
Union in providing financial support and only by all donations being sent direct to the Miners Solidarity Fund can a fair distribution of resources be ensured.
We welcome the assistance of the Campaign Group of Labour MP's in bringing this message to you and trust that you will continue to show solid. arity with the miners and give generously and regularly to provide support to be allowed to negotiate with non- you went back?
TUC affiliated unions.
Q. Do you think regions like strike will follow the Notts path?
history of union breaking in the same de mational Viewpoint 29 July 1985 hold our own. The scabs accuse us of being too politically minded, of bringing politics into the trade unions.
But the point is the government are the bring in politics through union will only help the government in that respect.
for the victims of the strike. ARTHUR SCARGILL (President) PETER HEATHFIELD (Secretary) MICHAEL MeGAHEY (Vice-President) Send all monies to Miners Solidarity Fund, St. James House, Vicar Lane, Sheffield. Cheques and postal orders made payable to Miners Solidarity Fund.