Speed-up increases disease deaths in pits

SCOTLAND

S WALES

lung CLIFF JONES' lungs are being eaten away. As the years go by his gasping and choking will get worse until one day he'll have nothing left to breathe with.

"The biggest thing is tiredness', said Cliff at his Gilvach council home.

If I went for a walk and went too fast I'd get a dizziness come over me and pains right across the chest. I haven't worked in the pit for three years but I'm still spitting up lumps of black coal dust.

'You just linger on until you die,' said 57-year-old Cliff.

'There's no other work in this valley. You come to a position you don't know what ing, it is-it's so demoralizCAN'T WORK Cliff is not as full of dust as some. His lungs are only 30-per-cent affected. 'But, he oints out, once a man gets 30 per cent he can't work ir Jack Martin, who has 10 per cent pneumoconiosis, is aged My face is intact-Sadat PRESIDENT Anwar Sadat of Egypt last week went on national television to make threatening speeches against He said he had called off an offensive against Israel last month only because of the outbreak of the IndoPakistani war.

I told you that 1971 would be decisive. I told you I had given my instructions for action. But I had to cancel my instructions.

There is no loss of face about this,' Sadat claimed. PNEUMOCONIOSIS kills 4,000 miners each year in Wales alone. The rate of incidence of the dread lung disease —caused by breathing in coal dust as you work deep in the earth has gone to a 100-yard face. It was all dry and we used pneumatic drills which blew the dust everywhere. Unless you had a lamp on the pit post Yeet couldn't see a man 12 away.

'You were eating the coal as well. By the time you came to the end of your tommy tin it was all black.' 'Before we had the electric fans, men would be working in 90 degrees just wearing vests and their shorts. It's different now. You freeze with all the air.

'One reason the dust is great today is that a lot more coal is shifted.

'When we were on the shovel we were doing 12 to 15 tons a shift. Now one disc cutter with 39 shifts 2.000 Were terrific in those times.

"There might be danger but men couldn't see it until section of roof or something like that fell on them.

'There aren't so many fatal accidents today, with the machines, and especially steel braces instead of wooden props; but when they happen they're more sérious.

'Men get caught in the conveyor or the cutters and fingers, hands, arms and legs get torn off. The speed of the machines is a big factor in the echniques have changed, accidents. too They go in for crash pack- to get the coal faster. ing now-that's bringing down a whole section of the roof at time you imagine the dust that creates.' Like most miners, Cliff is disgusted at the way men are thrown on the scrap-heap once disease stops them working in the pits.

£6 BASIC A miner gets a pension of £1.50 if he lives to he's -and most don't-but put off because of pneumoconiosis he gets basic, sick pay plus fl for every 10-per-here additional infection. are also extra age-related Cliff has five children three of them working-so he's not about to starve.

His wife has just started work as a relief cleaner at a local school, bringing in an family's 5 week. income extra f4 of the goes on rent.

"When a man's finished he should have what he got when he worked,' said Cliff. to private enterprise, been Nobody wants to go back nationalization hasn't better fon dies to resum. coniosis his widow gets f2.67ł week and a lump sum £150 plus concessionary house BLED FOR YEARS But of the 4,000 who died we're lucky to get 100 certified-the doctors say it's thrombosis of the leg or something like that.' Cliff is 100 per cent behind the miners' strike. If we had socialist state to organize the miners properly we'd be far advanced by now, he said.

"The same people are still in power. What we need is genuine nationalization with proper. workers' control-not just change of name. Immediately the TUC should call the whole country to a halt like they did in 1926.

We've been bled for years Right-wing threat after CHILEANS went to the HII FANC want tn tha polls in two crucial by-elections yesterday, as the 'left' government of Salvatore Allende faced a mounting challenge from its opponents controlling the Congress and Senate.

Allende has been forced to switch the socialist José Toha, from the Ministry of the Interior to that This move is now being challenged in the Senate and there is even a suggestion that the opposition will seek to impeach Allende himself.

Former right-wing president Eduardo Frei has returned to Chile after an extended tour in the United States.

While there he was undoubtedly briefed for his next task: to get rid of the Allende government make Chile safe for the big American corporations which exploited its economy in the past.

One of his hosts was the US ambassador to the Organization of American States, Joseph Jova, who organized a united front of the right-wing Chilean parties when he was up as a ret machinery. its victims a his support strike. by the old coal owners. Now remember queuing at the soup we must take over the kitchens in 1926. ancillary industries as well. Many of his own and his 'If this strike ends in a wife's family were persecuted General Election we want a and victimized in those days socialist Labour government, for their trade union activity not Harold Wilson and Co, It's different today, said not Gaitskells and Mac- Cliff. 'The trade union movedonalds? ment is vastly stronger. The Socialization is the only men have got to a stage way forward in the coal in- where they are fed up and dustry, says Cliff, who can they don't care a damn.' Welsh miners demand solidarity action from the crew of the coal ship 'Alain LD', berthed in Cardiff docks It's a DESFORD colliery employs about 650 miners, and they all voted unanimously to strike for their £5-£9 pay claim.

Tony Blower, aged 36, has been down the pit for over 20 years. He told Workers Press how the pressure would really be on the miners in about two weeks.

"The National Coal Board will start getting tougher about safety of machinery, he said, 'and the last of our wages will be gone.

'Everyone knows this is not just against the NCB-but the Tories as well.

I make no excuses for the Labour government. It's true they quite correctly nationalized the industry, but it meant that, through compensation, every ton we brought up the old pit bosses got their whack.

'I think it's exploitation of us on behalf of other industries.

It's essential that the miners get the backing of trade union members in other unions. Memories of 1926, when the miners were let down by the TUC and their own leaders, are strong. Chilean Doll attached to the US embassy in Santiago in 1964.

Frei has also been in contact with Lester Ziffern, chief of public relations for the Kennecot Copper Co, whose holdings in Chile have been nationalized.

The secret files of this company, which were published in a Chilean newspaper, show that Frei guaranteed that the property rights of the US corporations which controlled Chilean copper mining would be respected.

Frei later signed agreements which enabled US firms to increase their profits. The documents also show that he promiser tax reductions.

Yesterday's by-elections were Frei's first test.

Government candidates were opposed by a line-up of Frei supporters in alliance with the ultra-right National Party. The elections took place in a tense atmosphere created by bitter press attacks on both the government and strong-arm methods used by the right wing.

The government's hopes are based mainly in splits in the Christian-Democratic Party, which have followed the party's official line-up with the extreme right.

Meanwhile the Socialist sult of speed-up and new IAN YEATS talks to one of bout his experiences and for the week-old miners' a finish' 'Last year was the biggest let-down.

'We should have been all out then, but the leadership chickened out. It's given the CB time to build up stock nd the Tories time to com plete the Industrial Relations '1926 was like that, too, with government preparing while the TUC sat idle.

'Acceptance ing class, it musth t happenk the workTony thought that in his own union, members had to fight for democracy and vote in the executive every five years-'none of this "in for life" stuff, he added.

'I think Workers Préss is giving a very good coverage on our strike, but I'd like it to find out and print where our union subs have gone since 1926:

'As a single man I'll get strike pay. No social security.

I think that if a section of the leadership tried to compromise there would be a split down the middle of the union, because most lads want a fight to the finish.' Party has brought out pro posals for constitutional reform which would establish single-chamber government and require the dissolution of parliament.

The document says the majority held by the Christian Democratic and National Parties in Congress no longer corresponds with the correlation of political forces as shown by last year's municipal elections.

wants the President to have power to dissolve Congress and order new The problem for the Socialist supporters of Allende is how they can get their constitutional changes passed into law against the opposition of Congress and Senate.

This is the typically treacherous stance of reformists, leaving the real decisions with a right wing which has no intention of respecting any constitutional provisions which stand in its way.

But the deadlock between President and Congress is rapidly moving towards an open confrontation.

Frei's return and the right-wing offensive show the danger of a right-wing coup which will be greatly enhanced if yesterday's by-election results show government loss. Mool Editorlal Board Coa Tor Diacuas your Idono for the expanded paper QLASGOW Monday January 17 7.30 pm Room 1 Partick Burgh Looser Hall Morkland 31 Tube Speaker:

Stephen Johna CENTRAL LONDON Wednesday January 19 ALL TRADES ( MEI Make the Tory goveramen real al Roturu & Labour goveremant pledged to restore full amployment and repeal all laws against the unions! READING: Monday January 17, 8 p.m. Trades and Labour Club, Minster St. 'The Right to Work'. WILLESDEN: Monday Jan uary 24, 8p.m. Trades anc Labour hill, Hach he mines den NW10. 'Force the Tories to resign! SW LONDON: Tuesday January 18, 8pm. Small Hall, Clapham Manor Baths, Clapham Manor St, SW4. 'Right-to-Work' campaign. SOUTHALL: Tuesday January 18, 8 pm. Indian Workers' Association, The Featherstone Rd. miners' strike.

W LONDON: Wednesday January 19, 8 p.mn. The Greyhound, Becklow Rd, Acton W12.

CORBY: Wednesday Centre, The Right-to-Worie campaign. MINERS' STRAN -DAY IN NE 'Welsh Harp' Temple Lane off Fleet Street SOUTHAMPTON Thursday January : 7.30 p.m.

Conference Room Civic Contre Southampton S LONDON Wednesday January Lower Hall Brixton Town Hall Brixton SW2 IONS NaS CROYDON: Thuraday January 20, 8pm. Ruskin House, Combe Ra, B Croydon. Support the miners.

DAGENHAM: Wednesday East Ham Town REst Town Hall, East Ham, "Right-to-Work campaign'.

E LONDON: Tuesday January 25, 8p.m. All Hallows Hall, Devons Road, Poplar. 'Rightto-Work campaign'.

W LONDON: Tuesday January Wharfdate Rd, Back miNar: 8p.m. Prince Albert, Kings Cross.

Force Tories to resign'.

LUTON: Thursday January 21, 8p.m. Recreation Centre, Old Bedford Rd, Luton. 'Right-to-Work campaign'.

LONDON: Thursday January 20, 8p.m. Town Hall, Edmonton, 'Support the miners'.

SE LONDON: Thursda January 27, 8 p.m. Room 2, Deptford Engineers Club, opp New Cross Stn. "Ihe Right-to-Work campaign:' Socialist Labour Loaque Speclal courses of lectures decision of ATUA November 6 bulld revolutlonary party Lecture Room 1 Digbeth Hall, Digbeth BIRMINGHAM, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY JANUARY 18 Essential Marxism TUESDAY JANUARY 25 Economics and Politics TUESDAY FEBRUARY 1 istorical Materialism todi Mid-Hall dslde Hall, St George's C GLASGOW, 3 p.m.

SUNDAY JANUARY 23 Essential Marxism SUNDAY JANUARY 30 Economics and Politics given by (SLL national