Joe Owens Archive | ETOL Main Page
From Militant, No. 714, 31 August 1984, p. 3.
Transcribed by Iain Dalton.
Marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
WEST LOTHIAN miners reacted angrily to the first break in the strike at Polkemmet colliery near Bathgate, West Lothian, last Monday 20 August. Polkemmet employs 1,400 men, and is a main supplier of Ravenscraig steel works. Six scabs were taken into the pit at around 8 a.m. after the pickets had gone away to do the open cast, because there seemed to be nothing happening.
The six went back in again on Tuesday; the pit delegates got to speak to them. One said he wouldn’t return. The other five said they would. On Wednesday, the police sneaked them in at 4.45 a.m., about an hour early before the pickets had arrived in any numbers.
The union had reacted by withdrawing safety cover at 7.30 on Tuesday morning. Two hours later the underground power was shut off by management and remained off.
Safety cover was restored when it became clear that severe damage was being caused to the workings and the future of the pit might be at stake.
But management stopped NACODS safety men from entering the pit on Sunday night preventing any assessment for 12 hours – a long delay.
At the time of going to press it is unclear whether management will claim that the pit is irretrievably damaged. Management’s current claim that it would take a year to get back to production is taken with a pinch of salt by Polkemmet miners.
On Tuesday there were 27 arrests, 26 men from Polkemmet and one from Dalkeith who was arrested to breaking bail conditions. He was picked out by police from Edinburgh. A special squad has been doing the same on the Bilston Glen picket line – picking out anyone they recognise as having been arrested previously.
Joe Owens Archive | ETOL Main Page
Last updated: 6 November 2016