Miners stick out for less hours

BRITAIN'S 120,000 striking miners are more determined than ever to win their fight for the shortening of surfacemen's hours.

Far from sapping their fighting strength, the NUM xecutive's Tuesday decisio • line up with the Nationa Coal Board against the strike has introduced a new and bitter note into the struggle.

It is not just Wilson and Robens the men are fighting, but their union's leadership as well.

ednesday morningley the Wednesday morning, Yorkshire area council was expected to reject the executive's call for a return to work.

At a coalfield conference in Porthcawl later in the day, Gunter, ex-Minister of Labour as a token of thanks for their abject capitulation to Wilson at the Labour Party and TUC conferences.

The British Stalinists now play their role of 'left' cover for the Labour bell-hops with an expertise which would astonish the most acrobatic boaconstrictor.

Trade unionists must draw the necessary conclusions.

As the political and economic crisis worsens, the polarization of a class : forces becomes more clearly defined.

The offensive of the working class is the signal for the Stalinists to rally whatever forces they can to assist the Labour bureaucracy to prop up the ruling class.

The fight for alternative revolutionary leadership means the destruction of Stalinism as a force inside the working class. South Wales unofficial leaders called on the whole area to come out and demanded official backing.

Right-wing executive members were cursed and jeered as they left Tuesday's meeting in London. As one Doncaster miner told the Workers Press:

"This can only increase the pressure for them to resign.' The executive decided by 14-5 to call a special delegate conference next Thursday and ecommend acceptance ot thi Coal Board's 27s. 6d. wag offer.

If this went through, the final decision would be left to a pithead ballot which would:

• Include miners who have stayed at work • Take two or three weeks to complete • Leave entirely out of account the driving force behind the strike surfacemen's As the decision was announced, the mood in the hallway of the union's London headquarters snapped.

'Sell-out!'

Lobbying miners from all over the country broke as one man from pit-choir songs into shouts of 'Sell-out!', 'No bals lot!' and 'Resign'.

If you send round ballot said one Scottish branch official, 'we'll burn them!' Union president Sir Sidney Ford, not in evidence during the lobby, later called on miners to go back to work.

Earlier, the lobbyers had voted overwhelmingly not to send delegation to NCB's Hobart House headquarters for a meeting with Board chairman Lord Robens.

Rons said of muniy after Jock Miller.

If his Lordship really wanted to settle this strike' branch officer from another Yo Press pite could do it oners Press, could do it on the telephone in five minutes.' 'We'll be as solid as ever tomorrow, he said 'there's no going back unti the hours demand is met!'