Coal Board seeks MDW agreement

Workers Press no. 287, 28 October 1970 · scan page 2

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LEADERS of Britain's 292,000 miners yesterday received a new pay offer from the National Coal Board tied to a guaranteed coal production level in the first six months of next year.

LED BY road sweeper Ernie Warwick on tambourine, 300 council workers and engineers sang and chanted outside Reading Town Hall back Ting several hours came veral rage bill and would mean Os-a-wee across-the-board incret Coal Board is insisting that the miners' achieve me same overall tonnage in the first six months of next year as they achieved in the first six months of REDUCTION? 'If this was done, the Coal Board is saying, they would pay 10s a week increase from July 1, 1971.

A Coal Board spokesman could not comment when asked if there would be a reduction in pay were the guarantees not attained.

But some miners' leaders are known to be hostile to the idea, which they regard as a productivity string unacceptable to their members.

If accepted, the offer could amount Measured-Day Work type productivity dealsince the numbers of both miners and pits working are steadily decreasing and there is on average a drop of about ten million tons in production each year.

So the Coal Board would stand to gain at least five million tons more coal in the first half of next year in return for new minimum ings by July of £18 and f19 for surface and underground workers and between £27 4s 6d and £30 for face workers.

The miners are demanding new basic minima of £20 a week for surface workers, £22 for underground £30 for face workers.

Unofficial strike action support of this claim hit four Yorkshire collieries yesterday.

There were bans on time at Maltby and Cadeby Main collieries and at Kilnhurst all but 50 men were on strike, while Goldthorpe and Highgate about 90 men were on strike.

Scotland, 1,200 miners were still on indefinite strike in support of the £20-aweek claim, with Bogside colliery, part of the Longannet complex, Fife, , joining the stoppage yesterday.

EEC soften on entry FOREIGN MINISTERS of the Common Market countries negotiations for entry into they met in Market when they Luxemburg yesterday French oreigt minister Maurice Schumann surpris his fir the toug French rules