Yorkshire's pit productivity hopes pinned on payment by results
February, 1977Casual observers might be excused for thinking that the coal mining industry in Yorkshire revolves round a constantly-changing pattern of disputes of one kind or another, with Mr Arthur Scargill, Yorkshire miners' president, somewhere in the middle.
Last week's furore over the cost of lobbying tactics, following hotly on the heels of a call from the Yorkshire area council for the resignation of Mr Joe Gormley, National Union of Mineworkers' president, provides evidence that internal battles are not ruled out and that the Coal Board is not the only adversary taken on by the Yorkshire miners.
In fact Yorkshire has everything going for it just now. The pain of forthcoming price increases for domestic and industrial coal might be assuaged a little when it is realized that in the Coal Board's latest "coal for the future" plan, the Yorkshire area has schemes in the pipeline costing £200m in addition to the £400m committed to the development of the Selby coalfield.
A start has already been made on Selby, roads are laid, by the end of this month the freezing of the ground on the Wistow site will start to control the water content, and shaft sinking will begin in the summer.
Elsewhere in the county an impressive list of work is in various stages of progress, including a £25m project to drive a new driftmine from the pit yard of the 100-year-old Prince of Wales colliery, and £6m at Allerton Bywater, where a new drift is being driven through the local cricket pitch (with a promise of restoration).
In the Barnsley area £25m a year for three years, possibly longer, is earmarked for various schemes. Thurcroft colliery, near Rotherham, is having £7m spent on it, Treeton colliery nearby is down for £13m, and Frickley, Brodworth and Bentley collieries are costing £13m.
All developments are related to exploiting reserves hitherto unobtainable or winning new measures. There are problems to be faced, however, and one is manpower.
The Coal Board will have to embark on a hugh recruiting campaign this year. In order to cope with natural wastage it already has to sign on 5,000 miners a year, and with the early retirement scheme, due to come into force in August, an additional 3,200 men will be required almost overnight in Yorkshire.
The board makes no bones about it; they are pinning their hopes on a worthwhile incentive scheme being agreed with the National Union of Mineworkers - which brings us back to Mr Scargill. His fight against the Coal Board's last incentive scheme, which he said would set pit against pit and man against man, was one of the few successful public battles ha had led and won.
His fight for the £100-a-week miner, the battle against the social contract which he called the "social con trick", the campaign against EEC entry, and lately the early retirement issue, have all been lost. He will therefore clearly be pulling out all the stops to repeat his incentive fight success.
The Coal Board has other ideas based on the conviction that there is a change of heart in the rank and file. A Coal Board spokesman said the feedback from the men, rather than the union leadership, showed that the coal would come if the money were there.
"If the men were paid on results we would have no difficulty in filling jobs and pushing up productivity, and there would be some pretty hefty pay packets", he said.
The need became greater as capital investment increased. Yorkshire's 66,000 miners are producing 31.5 million tons and it is not enough. The board is convinced an incentive scheme would produce an immediate and convincing increase.
Source:Times Newspaper
