Gormley's new tactic

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In a bid to prevent Yorkshire mine rescue brigade men winning substantially improved stepped in last week to sign a national settlement with the NCB.

According to Yorks NUM President Arthur Scargill the deal they struck was considerably below the figure that Yorkshire NCB management were prepared to concede, and below the The General and Municipal Workers Union conference at Scarborough revealed clearly the methods by which the trade union leaders hope to force a Phase 4 of wage control on the working class.

David Basnett is this year's TUC Chairman and this seems to have given him the dubious privilege of leading the latest attack on workers' living standards.

A vague and contradictory motion on wages moved by Basnett on behalf of the Executive Committee called for an end to government imposed claim lodged by men themselves.

Though Yorkshire rescue workers at first threatened strike action to fight this sell-out and force through their claim, they have now decided to accept the national settlement, which includes shorter duty and standby hours and an extra £14 per week.

The NUM right wing, having used the tactic of pressing area productivity deals in order to force in divisive incentives payments and defuse the pressure for a national wage claim. has now resorted to imposing a national level sell-out in order to head off the Yorkshire claim.

This is the background to Daly's renewed assurances of support for the wage-cutting policies of the Lib-Lab coalition government.

The defence of miners' conditions and living standards demands a tenacious struggle for a principled leadership in conflict with the betrayals of the right wing and capitulations of the 'left' within the NUM.

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bonus payments, NUM leaders Joe Gormley and Lawrence Daly