Pickets confront overtime scabs
Socialist Organiser1984 1984-01-12Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 19 →
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WINDERS in the North Staffs pit who have been scabbing on the overtime ban have been suspended from the union and their branch disbanded.
Trouble started a few weeks ago when the winders, who earn more money than other miners. decided that they were going to break the overtime ban unless a ballot was held.
Last Saturday, winders North Stafts pits turned up and were met with mass pickets at all the pits in the area.
Trouble flared at Wolfstanton when one winder insisted on crossing the picket line at the 2 o'clock shift changeover. One picket was arrested for assaulting a copper and will appear in court at Newcastle-underLyme on February 9. Another picket was taken to hospital.
Altogether, winders were turned away at three of the five pits.
On sunday, winders seemed to have got the message and at one colliery two winders, turning up for work, were turned away after 20 minute discussion, and agreed to go back to their branch to argue for a reversal of their policy.
On Monday, however, winders called a one-day strike in protest at being turned away by pickets. Later that day, the winder branch, which belongs to tł right-wing dominated NUM Powi Group, was disbanded.
The next confrontation will t at the 6 a.m. shift changeovi next Saturday. Pickets at Wol stanton told us that if the winder tried to go in there, they woul call a mass picket and were exper ting support from Yorkshire an South Wales.