MINERS AT 13 PITS RETURN TO WORK

Northern Advocate, 1 September 1947, Page 5

MINERS AT 13 PITS RETURN TO WORK

(Received 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, August 31. MINERS at 13 pits out of 15 which struck during last week now have decided to return to work. Miners at Wombwell, Darfield, Houghton and Dearne Valley collieries decided by large majorities to resume work immediately. The Grimethorpe strikers decided by an overwhelmingmajority to continue the strike over the call to work a larger stint.

Miners at Ferrymore Colliery, near Barnsley, decided by a two to one majority to join the strike. The Grimethorpe miners held a twohour meeting which the national secretary of the Mineworkers’ Union (Mr Horner) addressed. They then decided to continue the strike.

“This dispute, with the loss of 100,000 tons of coal, has delivered a cruel blow at the prospects of maintaining output in Yorkshire industries.” Mr Shinwell said 235 woollen firms and 412 brick firms had less than one week’s coal in stock while 2386 firms had less than a week’s supply. The miners after the Minister’s speech, refused to resume work but changed their decision after Mr Jim Holdcroft, 44-year-old charge-man at Frickley coalface, jumped on the platform and shouted: “I want to go to work; so do others, but we want a fair deal.” Grimethorpe miners are taking a secret ballot tomorrow on the questions of acceptance of increased stint and immediate resumption of work. Miners employed at Hicklton, Barnborough and Highgate collieries, after a three-hour meeting addressed by a Labour member of Parliament, Mr Wilfred Paling, unanimously agreed to resume work immediately. The meeting decided to advise Grimethorpe strikei-s to return to work.

Miners at Frickley and South Kirkby who struck in sympathy with the Grimethorpe strikers, listened to two addresses by the Minister of Fuel (Mr Shinwell) and then decided to resume. Mr Shinwell said later: “It is doubtful whether we can recover the loss in production, although Yorkshire miners are capable in a normal week of 60,000 to 'BO,OOO tons more. “Decision for the resumption was achieved only with great difficulty.”

Mr Shinwell told the miners: “The miners are the shock troops today* This is the greatest adventure ever engaged in to save the country. If you do it—glory be to God for the mineworkers.” Mr Shinwell added that he was against prosecuting mineworkers. He believed in appealing to them.