Plea for coal's future

voluntary. mother chairman. enough was enough.

The chapel said it would resist all future redundancies, either compulsory or So the management knew would be resisted-the more so since negotiations of the redundancy plans were still going on at local and national level. It is reasonable to assume, therefore, have placed its next move.

nave planned Its next move sistance tonk has a work to The form the chanel's re.

ule. The company retaliates by dismissing four chape Tom Chute and Ann Shane are, respectively, father cAt she Ate Marin, that ther chapel (a post equivalent to ane arue Martin. the other two sacked workers, are deputy FoC and chapel MAUDE IN FoC, explained that the sit-in strike was being conducted on a rota basis, with 60 workers in attendance each shift.

Committees had already been set up to run the various aspects of the occupation, and there would be regular mass meetings.

"This action is against our right to work and against us as elected FoCs, he said of the company's move to dismiss them.

'It's an attack on our most basic rights as trade unionists, and we're determined to win these rights back.' Added Ann Shane: "The management's attitude has been completely dictatorial.

*They refused discussion of their redundancy plans although we were prepared to discuss manning levels in the factory. They refused to rided TSONS SILCOTS TILL ATSONS 1 THE TYING in of Britain's economy to the requirements of the monopolies of the Common Market was again underlined by Derek Ezra, chairman of the Coal Board, yesterday when he told EEC officials, including the Community's Energy Commissioner Henri Simonet, of his industry's hopes and needs.

The Council of Ministers is expected to review energy policy at its mid-May meeting, when long-term fuel supply decisions are due to be taken.

One possible plan is for Britain to concentrate on coal production while Germany concentrates on steel. This might lead a reversal historic decline of Britain's mining outDe the 50,000 steel redundancies corollary would -and more-the British Steel Corporation is about to impleBut there is nothing certain about this prospect. All sorts of vested interests the nine Market countries have to placated.

This is why Ezra couches his proposals in the form of a plea -to the higher authorities Brussels and Paris.

'The British coal industry is vigorously using all the Community channels to state its case,' an NCB handout reads.

The decision could just as easily be that Britain should run still further both its steel AND its coal industries.

Ezra's main theme song all along has been politicalGET YOUR BOOKS. PERIODICALS AND 28 charlotte st