fight to prevent the closure of their pit.
Kinneil, will now be leaving about 50m tonnes of coal that the NCB claim is un suitable to mine because of 'geological faults' On 19 December, 250 Kinneil miners had voted unanimously strike against the closure plan, 2neae paign to keep the pit open. The delegate COHLICICHLC decision to support Kinnell stops a united NCB's plans massive rundown of pits over the next years.
The main blame for the failure to defend Kinneil nes in the hesitancy of the response to the year disappointed at the failure of the Scottish miners delegate conference to support their voted 69 percent in favour of a fight to save jobs the recent ballot, but Mick McGahey failed to build on that vote to take on the Coal Board Since the U-Turn forced on them by the South Wales miners in the spring of 1981 the Coai Board has adopted a strategy of taking on the pits one by one, and trying to isolate them claiming they are 'uneconomic'. They will try to avoid the issue of redundancies by offering transfers as they have done at Kinneil.
But closures or partial closures as at Snowdown will inevitably mean largescale redundancies. Coal Board win the viability argument then miners will be in the same situa tion as the steel workers, whose decimated industri is one of the main outlets for the mines. The NCB is trying a softening-up process, before they go town.
Now the NUM excouve must give a national lead The South Wales NUM has given notice of strike action on Janual a com ment invest in their coal-field non. aea ly NCB. Kent keri determined to strike the Board goes ahead with the threat partially close They said LICY if asked. would support Kinnell The response of the NUM leadership has been totally Hiduculaid Mick McGahey put the onus for bringing out
----- pull-quotes -----
By Jeff King THE MINERS of Kinneil Colliery start the new