IMGpapers 1980–83

Newspapers of the International Marxist Group and its forerunners, 1980–83

Yorkshire miners pick up Thatcher's gauntlet

Socialist Challenge No. 183, 5 February 1981 · p. 15 of the scan · 582 words

The scan: sc-n183-feb-05-1981.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive, opens at this page)

Uncorrected machine reading. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from a scan of a newspaper page, and the page was cut into articles by machine, at the headlines found by their type size. Nothing has been corrected: expect misread words, text from a neighbouring article, and titles that are the machine reading of the headline, some of them only fragments. Quote from the scan, not from this page.
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page 15 of the scan

to Yorkshire Area Council ALTHOUGH there massive pit closure programmes, carried out in the. late '50s and miners have never before felt that their jobs were in jeopardy.

With coal stocks currently estimated at about 6m tonnes TeC uDnCu has been brought to a halt. Even miners' sons, wio uave OCCT traamnonaly able to rely on a job in the inuusu y. are being turned away from the pitheads.

The Lilical of massive pit closure programme looms over tne maustry as une capitalist recession bites deeper was into British industry.

Against this the Yorkshire miners' '60s, ship has decided to nettle and ballot Yorkshire membership. bers will be asked if they are prepared lo take industria ac tion, including strike action if necessary protect any threatened with closure on any grounds other than exhaustion. campaign has been conducted throughout the field with mass meetings of up to a thousand have listened to their area officials argue the case for a fight CPSA special conference last week lo save pilnead Jobs background Castleford leader- club on grasp the estimated that apart from 1,000 the entire miners inside, there were up to 200 outside who could not get MemAt this Taylor, the area vice president, warned that trying to erode the organisation seam- oi the trade union movement.

Scargill

cual"

workers who ty, he said.

introduced a ballot over heads of the steel unions. Benn backs Civil meeting 'Tories never llaucs ano LaDou friends, nor January was They will have got meeting Jack Tories were members Arthur 'We need strength and uniMacGregor has policy. the real intention of Edwardes had his ballot in BL roreer unen their enemies. want to SCLLIC old scores of 1972 and 1974. This may not be the best time but we Silver.

to take them on sell because the time is now 'I have faith in this union,' he added. 'In the past unions have not been let down by their - they have generally 'I am asking been let down by their leaders.

Scargill informed

the meeting that secret Cabinet but minutes had come through his door dealing with nuclear fuel had.' They showed that the the Friday, ment is to take away the power Broad Left launched campaign for the forthcoming presiden of the NUM and the TGWU Warning against accepting redundancy payments, Scargill said that no one should sell their job for a few oleCes 'No one has the right to a loD the InOusu Anyone who uid would be sell. ing the lob oi a son who has never had a chance to work' Arthur Scargill received a standing ovation when he said — no demanaıng - not only that you vote yes, campaign ine LLIOS massive vote this union has ever When the ballots closed last early indications from most pits were that the miners leadership as they always have the past. excess ot its Most are acc arine Couve cent for the some as high vci cclll.

When all the results are in it expected that the outcome Will be between 80 and y0 De cent support for the union ex. cculive The Yorkshire miners mean business threat have challenge • LO Ihatcher is nov clear. If the Yorkshire miners take strike action, we will no confine our action to our own coaltiela or even our own in dustry.

There will be no respect for anti-working class laws. Thatcher's gauntlet is now in the hands of the Yorkshire miners.

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