SYP & Miners Strike

I dont know if I've misunderstood
I don't think she was saying she supported a national ballot mate. But the fact if we did. And won Thatcher would have had to go down another route. To destroy us. The working notts miners did the job for her.

Edit
Obviously misunderstood. Just seen the like you gave her.

 

He was an NUM surveyor based in Staffordshire. Although his main job was at Glasshoughton looking at Geological faults.

 

So there wasn't a mandate then?

 

Cheers for not jumping down my throat mate. I was just born and would like to understand what really went off. I just don't like the bad feeling. ( My Dad was a fitter at South Kirkby). Not that it means owt.

 

Thank you for your reply. I don't know. I didn't realise it was this corrupt.

 

As is often the case with this emotive subject the thread has spread into a wider point about the strike. Not to lose sight of the OP though. The S Y Police are one of the finest examples of an incompetent and institutionally corrupt organisation. They were then, they are now.

And I'm not talking about 'one or two bad apples' I'm talking about every Police Officer on who seeing lawbreaking in the force, chose to do nothing about it. By my reckoning that would be about 99.9% of the Force. Institutionally corrupt.

 

So a miner. And NUM member I suppose as it was a closed shop. As I say I'll try offering up my personal opinion.

We had a ballot in yorkshire overwhelmingly in support of any pit closed on economical grounds. Not exhausted ones. (Bear in mind nuclear power was subsidised per kWh more than coal powered power stations.)

Cortonwood was the first pit to suffer this fate. I worked at the sister pit Elsecar main closed in effect in 1983.

We were fighting for an industry and a future for our communities (Some may not understand that. as miners were the closest groups of workers youd ever meet. And good people.)

Yes we struck. And didnt need a national Ballot cos one thing I can say. Is if it had been your colleagues pit that came for support. We would have downed tools.

Crossing a picket line in such circumstances was and rightly so imo a 100% no no.
We supported the steel workers. Nurses etc through their disputes. Btw Magregor was sent into the Steel industry before being sent to tackle us. Ask him why.

As for Notts. dont think for one minute those that worked would have voted to strike. Because of the I'm alright Jack mentality.
Recent programmes showed that. Not wanting to lose their more than comfy lives and luxuries it gave em.

. I don't know enough about the staffs lot to comment.

But. Wales. kent and other coalfields gave their support. And I have nothing but the highest admiration of those. But more so the Notts miners and Derbyshire miners that came out in support.

So ask your colleague would he have come for support if it had been his colliery and not Cortonwood. Would he have sought support.
If yes. I can almost guarantee as far is possible . He'd have got it. From the Yorkshire coalfield as well as the others that supported us. He may personally not have cared if his own shut. (as some our own at the time did, but a very small minority) . Can he say that of all his colleagues at the time.

A national ballot was imo irrelevant.
( although I see why those outside the industry may see as relevant).
As i would have struck regardless of the area the mine was in. Based on the union criteria. With or without their support.

Hope that comes over as clear as I'd like.

 

The truth will eventually come out. They can’t cover it up much longer. Let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later.

 

Cheers. Didn't want to offend. I apologise for doing so.

 

I honestly wasn't offended. I think you had to be there at the time to fully understand.
Defeat the miners union. The strongest in the uk. And the rest will fall like dominoes. It was because of the 74 strike. That defeated the tories. Thatcher was hell bent on destroying the unions and in turn workers rights to strike only based on their rules. Believe me. the Nurses would have had thousands joining em on a picket line. If legal. Bear in mind they will try not prevent any workers going through their lines due to the nature of the work.

 

Thankfully I'm only a receptionist but I feel really uneasy going into work when these doctors and nurses strikes are on.

 

I'd just like to say to @upthecolliers I had a similar debate with him a few years ago and made a total prat of myself.

He advised me very well.

 

Your post made me squirm.

 

You will not be the only one. That's natural. We had people going in to make sure the mines were in safe condition every day.
Eg pumps to remove the thousands of gallons of groundwater that built up in the mine. Members of NACODS. Were used.
Magregor if I remember rightly had a say to the decision why the delegates or leaders wouldnt recommend a strike. But they/we would still have let some in. We needed a mine to go back into at the end. But I know a lot of Deputies that were uncomfortable. Passing their mates on the picket line. Maybe they should have been given the right to strike and work when required for the reason I've quoted.

 

My Dad had to cross the picket lines as a YTS fitter. It's haunted him all his life.(Edit that can't have been the 84 strike as he was born in 56).

 

The mandate was made (To fight any closure of any mine on economical reasons alone) by being voted on well before any announcement of any pit closures.
There wasn't a vote to strike over any particular mine if that's what you're thinking.

Any in Yorkshire. As we were members of the Yorkshire coalfield. Who took part in it.
Rumours and evidence abounded before Cortonwood. It was only a matter of sooner or later. Other coalfields could have done the same. Our representatives called for the mandate. And called for a vote on it. I believe we were the only one. So more power to those other coalfields that supported us without one.
Arthur Scargill was not in charge of the Yorkshire miners as such (That was a guy called Jack Taylor if I remember rightly) . But national president. If he'd not supported us. He would have been taken down.

 

Not your fault at all, not everybody has family members that were personally affected by the SYPs actions and the media did a good job on their own at covering it up along with the government so it's not surprising the facts aren't readily available for those outside South yorkshire mate.

We know you didn't mean any offence.

 

So Roger (staffs surveyor) was right in a matter of fact sense.

 

Cheers ( I take everything to heart)

 

In a matter of fact that was his opinion. Like lots of others. But I gave you the reasons why i reckon he was misguided.

If a dept. Critical in nursing care came calling from any part of the country for support. In preventing a closure. Would you want a vote on it or support em. That's the choice you'd have to make as an individual. If it became the fact that you did want to support em but you lost that vote. What course of action would you take. That was the choice of thousands of miners in the industry with the support of their delegates who struck.
He would have had a delegate from his area at the meeting voting on whether to have a national ballot. It was defeated overwhelmingly even by those delegates from nottingham. To offer their full support to the strike. That's why they were pilloried. Ask yourself why. The UDM was formed to take over from the NUM. All of em scabs. In the sense they would never as claimed. Voted to strike. Lying ******** as pointed out by some on the recent documentaries. By those that struck in notts.
If your mate voted to strike I'd have admired him. If not it's a case of it's alright jack I'm safe. That didnt happen did it. (Sarcastically)