Crucial talks on strike
NZPA-Reuter Washington United States pit owners and striking coalminers, urged on by President Jimmy Carter, will resume negotiations today to end the crippling 73-day coal strike.
The walk-out by 160,000 miners, the longest pit strike in United States history, has caused substantial electricity cuts in several east-central states, hit industrial production, and threatened millions of other workers with being laid off. The two sides met at the White House and agreed after a personal appeal from President Carter to start new talks under the chairmanship of the Labour Secretary (Mr Ray Marshall). Mr Carter also planned to meet the governors of 12 states hardest hit by the rundown in coal stocks to discuss plans to deal with the crisis. Some states said it would take two weeks after the strike ended to restore normal electricity services. Rank-and-file miners on Sunday rejected a new three-year contract agreed between their union and mine-owners which would have raised pay from SUS7.BO to SUSIO.IS an hour.
The miners baulked at clauses in the contract covering health and pension programmes and providing heavy fines in cases of unofficial strikes and absenteeism.
Mr Carter, who spoke to the negotiators for five minutes at the start of Wednesday’s meeting, intervened in the dispute on Tuesday when he asked both sides to come to the White House.
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Press, 17 February 1978, Page 5
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223Crucial talks on strike Press, 17 February 1978, Page 5
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