Strikers Protest in Yorkshire
Rotherham, June 22, 1952
All the pits affected by the strike of members of the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies, and Shotfirers are expected to be working normally tomorrow morning. At Silverwood colliery, where the strike began, it was decided by a majority vote to return to work tonight "under strong protest." The men had been on strike since Tuesday.
Members of the association at Thurcroft Main colliery, who have been on strike since Thursday, decided unanimously to resume work tonight, again "under strong protest." Work is also to be resumed at Maltby, Cadeby, and Denaby tonight, and it is understood that similar decisions have been made at all the other pits still idle.
The strike spread suddenly yesterday to Manvers Main Colliery - the seventeenth pit affected - where 30 shotfirers and 18 deputies employed in the Haigh Moor seam refused to work the voluntary Saturday shift. It is thought that this step was taken to show support for the strike without breaking a national agreement. The stoppage brought half the pit to a standstill.
Throughout the north-eastern division of the Coal Board 37 colliers were working a voluntary shift, including two - Dinnington and Rossington - which had earlier been stopped by the strike. The output lost by the five-day stoppage is in the region of 64,000 tons.
A possibility of miners being trained to take over certain duties performed by members of the association to keep production going in case such a strike should occur again was envisaged yesterday by Mr. Ernest Jones, Yorkshire area secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers. The Yorkshire area council of the union expressed "moral indignation at the strike," which had caused considerable financial loss to miners ay the affected pits.
While the union's agreements with the Coal Board do not enable a claim for loss of wages to be sustained, Mr. Jones indicated that steps would be taken to secure an ex-gratia payment for loss of bonuses.
