at miners conference All hell broke out at last week's special delegate conference of the National Union of Mineworkets (NUM). Miners" leaders from Yorkshire walked out after NUM President Joe Gormicy refused to allow resolutions on the contro veral proposed productivity deal with the Coul Board.
After what Arthur Scargill, the Yorkshire Presideni, described as • Tair old rumpus betwech him and Joe Gormley, the Yorkshire delegation left the hall to join the lobby of hundreds of miners out side. Teams had come from as far away as South Wales, Yorkshire and Scotland to call for rejection of the deal.
Carrying official Yorkshire NUM posters, the lobbyers kept up a con- it seems tinued chant of "No deal!" as delegates arrived at the hall. Lawrence Daly, the union's general secretary, once darling of the left but now a firm supporter of the deal, came in for special treatment. As be made his way past a protective police cordon, he could only utter I've got the message.
Inside the conference itself. Gormley and Daly tried to cool down the situation by agreeing to postpone the pit-bead ballot on the deal which was to have taken place next week. Now there are to be turther negotiations with the NCB for a new formula.
But it's unlikely that the Coal Board will agree to much more. The latest scheme was only accepted by Gormley himself after two previous proposals from the NCH were considered inadequate. The present offer woold give face-workers an extra £2.50 for every five per cent above 75 per cent of an agreed targel, amounting to L12.50 a week extra for face workers who achieve 100 per cent.
Reg Weekly. 3 October 1974_ Pane 4.
But the picture isn't as rosy as Some miners will indeed get large increases of up to E12.50. But because the increases will be calculated on the basis of output of face-workers, there will be massive discrepancies. Output per manshift can be as different as 11 cwl one week, and 40 cwt the next. And that in one pit.
Imagine the differences between pits with ditterent geological conditions-workers in pits with bad "faces" will be seriously discriminaled against, Areas Like Lancashire and Scotland will be particularly IZTTSBES CLOSURES The bulk of the rest of the men will get bonuses calculated on the hasis of S0 per cent of the faceworkers bonus. So the discrepancies will extend to all other categories as well, But that's not all. Any big drive for higher productivity in the pits is bound to add to the long list of industrial accidents. As usual the thirst for profitability comes much higher on the NCB's list of priorities than the safety of