- Title: U.K.: BACKGROUND REPORT ON COAL INDUSTRY AS MINERS VOTE ON STRIKE PROPOSAL.
- Date: 3rd February 1974
- Summary: 1. GV Miners leaving pit at end of shift 0.14 2. BV Miners away from camera 0.19 3. GV Coedely Colliery 0.21 4. GVs Pit head scenes at Coedely Colliery (3 shots) 0.30 5. CU Miner Morgan Jones being interviewed (OVERLA of 1926 scenes of striking miners leaving pit head, miners train arriving, miners handing in lamps and miners maroning) 1.25 6. GV Power station, Thames in F/G. 1.28 7. CU Smoke rising from station chimney 1.30 8. GV PAN ACROSS Coal stocks at station 1.42 9. GV Army truck with troops enters dock gate 1.44 10. GV Ships a wharf-side 1.46 11. SV Troops unloading ship (6 shots) 1.58 12. MV Shots inside mire as safety officers chsokmins including water seepage (5 shots) 2.26 REPORTER: "What was it like during that strike? What was the morale of the people like?" MORGAN JAMES: "Well, to my way of looking at it, now, it was great. But mind, don't forget, in them days it wasn't so much a strike -- it was a lockout. Men were forced to start that strike, afterwards were locked out from work. They couldn't go back to work if they wanted to. Until they signed. And if you had a ...(INDISTINCT) ... in them days, you weren't resigned. You was put.. If a man was out of work, he was out of work... for shouting his m??? off. If he shout his mouth off he never worked in the collieries again." If the miners do go out na the worst comes to the worst, it is concovivable that Britain's powers stations could run out of fuel by June. There has been speculation that troops might be called in. The last time this happened was in 1949 when soldiers did the work of striking dockers. One union official is resorted to have said he would urge troops not to cross picket lines at the mines. Leaders of britain's coal industry have warned that a strike could produce a backlash. Some mines have to be closed because they've become flooded due to the absence of the ???aily safety checks. One almost certain effect of strike would be further reduction in the British working week and enforced power cuts throughout the country. This in turn could lead to further unemployment and aggravate the trade deficit which at present is the worst in Britain's history. There is widespread sympathy for the miner' case. The Trades Union Congress, representing all Britain's unions, has urged the miners be treated as special case and has pledged not to exploit this in wage negotiations for other unionists. But the Heath government insists its present offer is more than generous -- despite the fact that the total extra bill to Britain of the minersU demands is only a fraction of the amount a strike might cost the country. Initials BB/0104 ??? Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 17th February 1974 12:00
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- Location: LONDON & SOUTH WALES, U.K.
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA9ZBQHNU7WQW4922N1JVCZXT3J
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