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Apr 16, 2015 10:52:44 GMT -5
Post by John on Apr 16, 2015 10:52:44 GMT -5
While doing some searching this morning, I came across some books on Google books, missing pages because of copyright laws, but certainly throw light on the Tory dirty tricks department and how they use MI5 etc to infiltrate and discredit the NUM during the big strike, right down to using paid "plants" within the NUM.
One even backed some data I read a couple of years back, that if NACODS had walked out, the strike would have been over and Thatcher would have thrown the towel in.
I was surprised at how much big business invested in trying to smash the strike.
I see the union split was also paid for with bribery by the government, I wonder how many would have broken away from the NUM had they known the depths of deception the government had gone to??
It boils down to what I posted in the early days of this site, it wasn't about closing down unprofitable pits, it was about smashing the most powerful union in the UK, the only one that could bring about a revolution if it so desired, again that's backed up in print. The money masters were fearful of a socialist take over of Britain and losing their money and power.
I wonder what Britain would look like today had NACODS walked off the job nation wide in support of the NUM???
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Apr 17, 2015 4:51:24 GMT -5
Post by tygwyn on Apr 17, 2015 4:51:24 GMT -5
I see the union split was also paid for with bribery by the government, I wonder how many would have broken away from the NUM had they known the depths of deception the government had gone to?? Do you really think it would have mattered a jot to that lot as long as their pockets were full, On the whole they were the best paid Miner`s in the UK,and had no intention of losing their money on Anyone`s account,knowing they would still get redundancy when their pits closed, I`m alright jack,and f--- the rest of you comes to mind,they did it before and did it again.
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Apr 17, 2015 5:29:08 GMT -5
Post by John on Apr 17, 2015 5:29:08 GMT -5
I see the union split was also paid for with bribery by the government, I wonder how many would have broken away from the NUM had they known the depths of deception the government had gone to?? Do you really think it would have mattered a jot to that lot as long as their pockets were full, On the whole they were the best paid Miner`s in the UK,and had no intention of losing their money on Anyone`s account,knowing they would still get redundancy when their pits closed, I`m alright jack,and f--- the rest of you comes to mind,they did it before and did it again. No idea Jim, I don't know what the UK payscales were at the time, when I left the industry in 68, all faceworkers were on 25 quid a week, regardless of pit or conditions, and when I left the UK in 79, we at Boulby were on higher pay than coal mine workers, the very reason the NUM turned us down for membership.
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Apr 17, 2015 9:24:20 GMT -5
Post by colly0410 on Apr 17, 2015 9:24:20 GMT -5
Was there any pressure put on none coal miners to go on strike? I.E. Potash, salt, tin, & gypsum miners.
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Apr 17, 2015 10:19:42 GMT -5
Post by John on Apr 17, 2015 10:19:42 GMT -5
Was there any pressure put on none coal miners to go on strike? I.E. Potash, salt, tin, & gypsum miners. No idea Steve, but at a guess I'd say no, different unions. When I was with BG I was in the general workers union and when I was at Boulby, ICI the parent company demanded we belonged to our relevant trade union, in my case the EEPTU, so had to transfer. Fitters belonged to the amalgamated metal union or whatever it was called, miners were required to be in the General Workers Union. ICI required total union membership, never worked for a company that had been a closed shop by the companies rules, usually the other way around. They even required staff belong to their relevant staffs associations.
But Like I said, I doubt any pressure was put on them to strike in support of the NUM. I started there in 1975, shortly afterwards I attempted to get support to change from our unions to the NUM, my Foreman at the time informed me they had tried in 1974 to join the NUM, but the NUM executive had all but told them to eff off, they weren't interested in some highly paid pretend miners joining the NUM. As he said, they were jealous of our wage structure. On that note, everyone was classed as "staff" Fixed rates and monthly salary paid into our bank accounts. There were a couple of add on payments, like grease and sump time. But no overtime rates, we just got flat time for any overtime...Management found it very hard to get anyone to work overtime, which restricted production at times, so staff status was removed mid 75 and we had time and a half and double time payments introduced..Then it was all out, live at work attitudes.LOL I was one of the "hungry" ones once the overtime payments were introduced.
I don't think even if all miscellaneous miners had been asked to follow the NUM it wouldn't have made any difference, the ones needed to walk off the job would have been the rail unions and dockers, and maybe the power station workers working to rule might have made a huge difference.
But hadn't the new anti strike laws forbid the rail workers and dockers walking off the job in sympathy a crime?? Not sure if the electricity supply industry were allowed to enter a dispute???
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Apr 17, 2015 11:52:00 GMT -5
Post by colly0410 on Apr 17, 2015 11:52:00 GMT -5
I was in NUPE working for the council in the strike, there was a NUM bucket out side the pay office, most blokes chucked sumat in it..
I'm in Unison at the moment, flipping useless they are, the new firm who took over from the NHS are trying to change all our shifts round, none of us want to do it but the union seems to agree with them, looks like a stitch up to us..
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Apr 17, 2015 12:17:04 GMT -5
Post by John on Apr 17, 2015 12:17:04 GMT -5
I was in NUPE working for the council in the strike, there was a NUM bucket out side the pay office, most blokes chucked sumat in it.. I'm in Unison at the moment, flipping useless they are, the new firm who took over from the NHS are trying to change all our shifts round, none of us want to do it but the union seems to agree with them, looks like a stitch up to us.. I was in the ETU in Australia, the mining union was The Miners Federation of Australia,or Feds as they were better known, whenever there was a dispute, ETU head office just used to say follow the Feds. They used to run a system of open or closed books, if we were in dire straights, downturn in the industry and some companies weren't taking labour on, our mining unions would close the books, any pit wanting extra labour had to contact the unions HQ and let them know they had vacancies, then an out of work miners union/elec/fitter would be sent to apply for that vacancy. When things were going well, the books would be open to new members, so companies could advertise for labour in the papers.
What happened during the UK strike would never have happened in the Oz coal industry during the 70's and 80's, strike breakers risked their lives, in small towns they and their families would have a hard time, no shops would sell to them, pubs would be highly dangerous places to them. So the companies just locked their main gates until the strike was over. We did supply safety coverage, usually two elecs and two fitters, one of each surface and underground, and the Feds supplied emergency labour as requested after being informed of the nature of the emergency. Coal was even cut on longwalls once a week to stop them closing up, BUT, the coal had to stay in the ROM bin on the surface, or stockpiled in the pit yard until the dispute was resolved.
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