MINERS TO BALLOT FOR STRIKE ACTION

MINERS' union is to ballot on a national strike ERS' a unanimous recommendation from the execuunani tive to reject the Coal Board government pay ceiling tive and vote for Joe Gormley, NUM president, said the government was undoubtediy seeking a confrontation with the trade union movement by the deliberate re-wording of the Phase Two Green Paper which ruled out a third week's holiday for miners.

In view of this, in Gormley's view there will be no point in going for anything less than an all-out strike if the ballot gives the executive the required 55 per cent majority authorizing them to take industrial action.

There is no point in pussyfooting about if we are going to get involved in this. There is no pressure at all on the government from a one-day strike or an overtime ban. There is a big majority on the executive in favour of a real battle, if it has to be this way, rather than pussyfooting about.

So the miners are poised once again to lead the fight of the working class against the punitive burdens being imposed by the Tory govern. ment as a cure for capitalism's uncontrollable inflation.

This move towards strike action comes at a critical stage in the fight against the state pay laws.

It could begin the process leading to the resignation of the lory government and allow the miners and the whole of the working class to take revenge for the bitter defeat inflicted on it in 1926.

Gormley said that the final Minister for Industry Tom had with Boardman this week had made it plain that there was no purpose in any further discussions about the miners' pay claim for £5 to £7 more a week.

The offer of $2.29, plus some fringe benefits, was all the Coal Board was instructed to offer.

•We are not even dealing with the Coal Board. The opposition is coming from the government, said Gormley yesterday.

He said the wording llot ommendation mous rec industrial action. been changed from the first White Paper about Phase Two to the words in the Green Paper on the Code of guidance to the Pay Board so that the miners' third week holiday deal was deliberately scotched.

'There is some political reasoning behind it. And Boardman said things are going to be even tougher under Phase Three. There will not be much cake available.

'There is some deliberate purpose in changing this Green Paper wording. The government is deliberately trying Drovoke Con- frontation: Provoke a conCLEAR THE AIR But Gormley concluded: 'It is time we had a General Election. It would clear the miners• mystery about the One mystery ahout the was the attitude of the Communist Party members and their supporters.

The decision to go directly to the strike ballot was opposed by the Stalinists and only got through on Gormley's casting vote.

Their counter proposal was for a special one-day conference of miners' delegates.

None of the explanations for this move makes much sense. A special conference could have been of use if the executive had recommended acceptance of the ofter, but in fact it was unanimously opposed to it, and has been all along.

JOEN IN AYIN ... In IN DOLi HASE II Civil servants' pickel outside St Stephen's VITAL STATISTICS Outside rates of pay up 28% Civil Service rates of TOPPAC ON PAY