NOTTS. MINERS PREPARE STRIKE PLANS The Notts. coalfield is not normally renowned for industrial militancy. There was black-legging during the general strike and until quite recently an apathetic attitude prevailed. The reason for this lies partly in the fact that geological considerations and Coal Board investment policy have given Notts. miners relatively high earnings as compared with other coalfields. This has meant that other regions have often been struggling to achieve an earnings level not very different from that already prevailing in this "richer" coalfield. Following from this, has been a lack of interest in the hitherto modest claims made by the union and the even more niggardly pittances the NUM leadership has been happy to agree. Notts. miners have usually taken a disparaging and cynical view of NUM "struggles" and have taken little interest in industrial action for these reasons.
But with the National Power Loading agreement a change of attitude has begun. The introduction of day rates in substitution for piece rates has often had the effect of reducing earnings whilst productivity has soared. If piecerates had been retained earnings would have increased during this last period. The Notts. area voted against the new "productivity" agreements and ironically it is those areas who voted for these changes-in the expectation of increased earnings-that have suffered most as a result of pit closures due to failure to reach a sufficient level of productivity, hindered by NCB investment policy and the nature of the seams.
It is thought that there will be a majority for the strike in the Notts. area, though many miners are doubtful whether this will reach the two-thirds necessary as a national figure for an immediate official stoppage. But the Notts. miners will strike in line with national policy, reflecting the changing mood in this coalfield. A work-to-rule and overtime ban has already started at Cotgrave and has now been recommended by the Notts. area Executive to the rest of the coalfield. Some militants, however, see this as a bad move, believing that this may represent a manoeuvre by those opposed to the strike who may yet seek to restrict industrial action to a work-to-rule and overtime ban as opposed to a complete stoppage. Many miners are preferring to work overtime at the moment in order to build up savings and thus prolong the strike if necessary.
Joe Whelan, Area Agent of the Notts. NUM, and Bernard Savage, member of the Notts. Executive, agreed to answer some of our questions on the forthcoming strike. tion move your feelings about Robens arbitra- -What are Whelan: The whole thing is just pure Bullshit. It's like another Royal Commission from which nothing of benefit to the workers has ever come Arbitration is just another gimmick to delay militant action. We're expecting a lot of such gimmicks in the next weeks. Robens has already sent a letter to every miner's home and he will probably send one to their wives as well. -How strong do you consider the NUM to be? Savage: We are in a stronger position than the miners were. Do you know, there are ten power stations in the Trent Valley serving the Midlands and they only hold an average of three days" stock. And when power stations close down, you don't just put a match to them to start them up again. It can take up to three weeks to get them back into commission. Furnaces may need relining and it is a major job to get them restarted. The blokes think they are going to be at home watching telly in the afternoon, but I tell them there will be no bloody telly after a few days if the strike is solid. This chaos is to be added to the fact that there would be a coal crisis this winter anway without a strike. The NUR have said they will not allow coal trains to move and the same goes for the TGWU and coal lorries, so what small pithead stocks there are will be useless. Of course this general shortage plus the strike is made worse as a consequence of natural gas and nuclear power having been ballsed up.
Whelan: We are in the strongest bargaining posi tion we will ever be in. There is a shortage of coal. There is a shortage of coke. There is a shortage of men. And in spite of all the attacks on the industry we still supply 51% of the country's energy needs. At the moment there is an oil shortage and oil prices are rising as a result of the action taken in Libya. -The National Coal Board argue there is no money available to meet the demand. What is the position Whelan: The facts reveal the mining industry is profit-making. £554½ millions have been paid in interest since nationalisation. Even now money is being borrowed by the Coal Board at 8% in order to repay money that they borrowed at 4% to pay earlier interest to money lenders. In 1969 a profit of £29 million was made but after paying out interest of £38 million we finished up with a "loss" of £8 million. -Vic Feather has been taking the tin round the other unions. What will the position be as regards strike pay?
Whelan: Our members pay only 2/6 per week, and as you know there has been no official strike since 1926 and so strike pay has stuck at 10/- per week. Of course the executive are going to have to do something about that. But really all that is not important. The old miners didn't have funds. -Can we turn to a local situation? Rightly or wrongly the Notts. miners have a reputation for a lack of militancy. What is the position now? Savage: In the past, Notts. miners have often had high earnings compared with other areas. But now they are very pissed off because they have lost out on the national agreements to the extent of actually suffering cuts in earnings. Under the old piecework system, when productivity went up, the workers gained. On the new day rate system this is no longer the case. Take Hucknall pit, for instance, where production has gone up by nearly 10,000 tons a month to something like double what it was onlv a year go. During this period earnings have gone dow y as much as t6 per week! And elsewhere ther are men who are earning the same figure that they were getting in 1955. Whilst there may not be as much militancy as in some areas, there will certainly be a majority for a strike and there will be no blacklegging —What will be the effect of the overtime ban and work-to-rule that has started at Cotgrave and which the Executive has now recommended to other Notts. pits?
Savage: It will completely knacker the pits immediately. It means there will be maintenance done and the machinery will break down. —Finally, how is the ballot being organised? Savage: This will not be a normal ballot. The branch officials will be telling the men how they think they should vote. We shall have canteen meetings for each shift immediately before the vote