Miners’ strike call unfair, says judge

Press, 28 May 1984, Page 10

Miners’ strike call unfair, says judge

NZPA-AP London A High Court judge branded the British coalminers’ unballoted strike call unfair to those who did not agree to it and granted right-to-work injunctions to 661 miners who face often violent picket lines outside their Nottinghamshire mines. Arthur Scargill, leader of the National Union of Mineworkers, attacked the ruling as “consistent with over a century of anti-working class judgments designed to weaken the power of the British labour and trade union movement.” His Honour, Sir Robert Meparrv. banned union

Z officials from instructing miners from Pye Hill and Sherwood collieries in Nottinghamshire to strike, from directing them not to cross picket lines and from penalising them for defying Mr Scargill’s strike call. He said the 11-week-old strike came as close as possible to breaching union rules which require that miners approve any strike call by majority vote. Union officials maintained that the strike was voluntary and therefore democratic without a vote. Critics said the union officials were afraid a strike vote would be defeated because of the Staterun National Coal Hoard’s

favourable lay-off terms. Eighty per cent of Britain’s 183,000 miners obeyed Mr Scargill’s call to strike on March 12 over the Coal Board’s plans to cut 20,000 jobs and close 20 to 25 unprofitable mines in the next 12 months. The N.C.8., which is offering miners lay-off payments of up to £lOOO (12150) for every year worked, maintains that the cutbacks will reduce Britain’s coal surplus and end annual Government subsidies to the industry. The ruling came within hours of an announcement that union officials and the N.C.B. would reopen talks in a fresh hid tn pnn the strike.