How do you feel about the role of the NUM. particularly with its instructions to pickets and its instructions about safety coverage? I think the NUM leadership must accept responsibility for the decline in real living standards that the mine workers have suffered over these past ten to fifteen years. However in the last two years there has/ been a marked change in leadership. I know there has not been a revolutionary change or anything like that, but at least they are prepared now to stand up and say that's the finish and they are prepared to use industrial action to enable their members to achieve a decent living standard. So as far as the leadership is concerned, I am quite satisfied with the general running of the strike. But I am disatisfied about the instructions that have been sent out to picket lines. I feel that it is necessary and important that any people such as yourselves, from political groups and other trade unions should meet and get together. I am prepared to go anywhere and meet people who give their support-one has only to look at your publications and those of other political groups to see where the support is coming from. This is the sort of information that should be getting across to our members. How far do you think this change in leadership was the result of rank and file discontent? Yes-there is no doubt that the unofficial action that developed, particularly in Yorkshire and S. Wales in recent years has given the impetus to the NUM to be more militant and to press ahead with what can The interviews on this and the next page were carried only be described as justified wage claims.
So 1 think it is true that the NUM leadership had been put into the position where they had to take militant action.
How do you feel about the coverage of the strike by the national press?
I think as far as this strike is concerned the national press have not been so bitter towards the NUM in recent weeks-however, they are very shrewd people and very clever.
Take the Sun, for instance, last weekend, "Stuff the Norm "-the headlines, and they went on to outline the tremendous case that the mine workers had. And in one of the main paragraphs in deeper print, they came up with the conclusion that three wise men should be appointed-Adamson, director general of the C.B.I., Vic Feather and a non-voting judge and they said that if these three men should get together they would reach a settlement of £3.50 extra for the lower paid. Well this is the sort of thing we can expect from the press-from the Tory sponsored press, the Tory dominated press and a press that only has the ruling class's interest at heart.
Do you think that enough is being done by the miners leaders to explain why the miners are in the forefront of working class action against the government's economic policies?
With regard to the NUM inferming people of the case-the leaders are probably restricted in their ability to get the miners case across, but I must say that the last thing I want to do is to attack the leaders in this situation now that we are involved in a dispute. I think it is important that we close the ranks but at the same time-I think The Miner (the official newspaper) could have been used better to present the case in the way for instance that some of your publications have. Have you any opinions on the NUM's instructions in general that groups such as ourselves have to be blacked from having any political discussions with striking miners, in particular the fact that we were not allowed into the strike meeting and there was no discussion of this at the meeting. It was just aninstruction from the officials?
The local officials have seen the instruction that came out from Euston Road, saying that strike leaders or people in charge of picket lines should try to ensure that there
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INTERVIEWS out before the latest offer accepted by the NUM executive. They are printed because they illustrate clearly some important lessons of the strike.