Interview with Jack Collins, Kent area delegate to the NUM Executive What is the current situation in the mining industry?
The miners are completely solid. There does not seem to be any attempt by the men to go against the position of the National Executive. All the indications are that the miners are prepared to continue the struggle until the claim is met in full. The effects of the overtime ban are increasing. The production losses attributed to the miners are incorrect. Although I haven't seen the latest figures, more coal is being lost than the NCB is prepared to admit.
Do you think that the overtime ban will be enough to win the claim, or will a strike be necessary?
If the executive were to make a call for strike action to win the claim, and providing they work to implement this call and give a positive lead, it would undoubtedly have a In that situation, with a large majority supporting the executive's call, what we saw in 1972 would pale into insignificance compared to this time.
With other sections e.g. railwaymen, ambulancemen etc., on the move, unity is the key queston. How do you see this being achieved? 1 think it is important that each section, as it comes into struggle, should not only declare solidarity with other groups, but be prepared to meet and discuss possibilities for calling the labour movement together, so that unity can be achieved and we can smash Phase 3.
What are the possibilities for unity between the miners and engineers?
The prospects have always been there, but never more so than right now. It is desirable that these two sections in struggle work to already been meetings and discussions between the miners and engineers, such as at Kinneal, with the obvious intention of working towards such unity. strength of the movement' to smash Phase 3. A national engineering strike would be an important step forward. But the CP have remained silent on this question for months. When it comes to the crunch, the position of the CP is determined, not by the real interests of the working class, but by the interests of their alliance with the left' in the official trade union leadership. This is why the CP zig-zags all over the place, denouncing the talks with the government in the Morning Star, yet attempting , to stop a resolution forbidding Scanlon to participate in the talks from going before the AUEW conference. The most absurd example of this 'don't embarass Scanlon' campaign is the current effort of the CP to organise cans tor a namonal overume ban in tn engineering industry. The shop stewards conference