Some of them don't seem to realise this happens, they refuse to believe that this is something quite deliberate, they seem to accept that it's all the luck of the draw. But you don t have to be very bright to realise that the management are doing this. -Gormley has spoken of £3 as being reasonable for a settlement..
I think Joe Gormley has caused a bit of concern by the statements which he has made in relation to this, and he hasn't been very factual about it. What he has said is that there is not a big gap-and this needs a lot of explaining-between C2 a week and £9 a week and this is the difference between the demand and the offer. Then again, he said that a little cash was not forthcoming and therefore the strike took place. He seem d to be more sorry that the strike was taking place rather than that the money was not forthcomingat least, he gave me that impression. -Gromley also seems prepared to concede When Joe Górmley, NUM President, says that "neither side wants a strike", he's wrongthe mood of the miners nationally is the most militant in decades, and even those areas which voted against strike action in the national ballot are solidly behind the stoppage. The reasons for this militancy are quite simple. From being top wage-earners in the country in the early 50's, the miners have sunk to being about thirteenth in the league at present. Coal face workers need a E7 a week rise to restore the purchasing power they had in 1965-and around 20 percent of miners would find that living on supplementary benefits would make no more than a f2 week difference to their income. At the same time, the rundown and capitalist nationalisation' of the coal industry has meant massive redundancies and pit closures over the past two decades. In 15 years, manpower has been cut by the NUM "leadership'. By consciously working within the framework of a capitalist nationalised coal industry, they have been consistent accomplices of the NCB and successive governments (Labour or otherwise) in running down the industry and throwing thousands of miners on the scrapheap in the interests of profitability, 'nationalisation, and, of course, the "national interest. These people will find it extremely difficult to fight the Tories after years of collaboration. LEADERSHIP DOESN'T WANT A FIGHT This is what Gormley means when he says that "neither side wants a strike". The NUM right wing want to continue their cosy relationship with the coal board, accepting all the closures, redundancies and productivity deals which British capitalism wants for the industry, in return for reasonably high wages for the few miners left in the pits. That way, they could keep both the bourgeoisie and their rapidly declining membership happy. Unfortunately for the NUM bureaucracy, however, the Tories won't play ball-this isn't just a miners strike, but the latest round in a bitter struggle with the working class.
During (and after) the strike, therefore, militants in the coal industry are faced with the problem of fighting the bureaucracy. It won't be an easy fight-for a start, NUM officials are elected for life. But given the changing mood in the pits, local initiatives can build up a firm base of militancy from which the struggle can continue, whatever the outcome of this strike.
-Jim Murphy The Red Mole 24th Jan. 1972 Page