to attend this meeting. They were The miners strike in the Nort East 15 still moving forward despite some vicious scab tactles and disruption created by official NUM policy.
At the National Coal Board's Gates head offices, employing 1.000 eerical staff, 200 members of COSA, the mineworkers" clecical section, are defying the Instructions of their regional organiser by continuing work. Hut they are becoming Increasingly bolated. Last Monday COSA members i. Northumberland joined others and members of the ether white-collar unian Inolved, APEX, have come out on atmke.
At first the scabs woro able to drive through the picker lines in special buses. But last week bus drivers in the TAGWI refused to cross the picket lines and now dump scabs some distance from the of fices, forcine them to confront the pickets by walking into work.
But other buses still operate. One, owned by Northern Transport Ltd., drove straight at some pickets almost killing two, A management official drove his car at another, running over his toot.
The picket line is now about 20 strong with some 15 miners from Marky Hill Colliery and live COSA strikers, including thee women telephonists. Asked about how women pickets-were received by the telephonist Linda Rowntree told MICH Red Weekiy, "You're treated as an equal of course. A picket is a picket the world A serious problem for the development of the strike in the North East Jas boen the attitude of the NUM leadership. The limitation of the NEM, pickets to si excludes the mass involvement of the 1972 strikes, In Gateshead and many other anas vised by Red Reekiy the Ineffectiveness of six man picketting is cousing the disgust of strikers, John Ragin • COSA Elerk al Gateshenil explained. I we had 200 people, no one would get by. If they're so keen to work we should let them go. in, then pur 2,000 pickets on and not let the fuckers out till the strike's aver."
Problems of communication have also arisen hecause of insistence that contacts with other workers be handled via the official channels of the NOM, In Middlesborough pickets complained that oll can kers wure crossing the lines, only discover from the T&GWU stewards that they had been given official instructions of Canterbury in solidarity with the Miness. The demonstracion, made up of miners, local militants and students, was organised by the Labour Party and supported by two local miners lodges, ASTMS, ALEW, the Communist Party, the International Socinlists and the International Marxist Group.
At the end of the march a, meeting was addresed by a Labour Party Coun cillor, the President of the Kent NUM and CP member Joe Burke, the President of the Canterbury Students Union and IMG member Jobo MoGowan, and Kent arca NEC member and CF member Jack Collins All speakers called for a vote for tho