30.05.1996

Everybody’s fight

From the Workers Weekly, paper of the Communist Party of Great Britain, May 28 1926

The Miners’ Federation appeals below to all workers to help them. In particular they appeal to those who may be called on to shift or transport coal. Their call must be answered!

All coal is black! All who handle it, willingly or unwillingly, are damaging the miners’ cause.

The Communist Party asks every union branch affected, every strike committee, and every trades council, to consider this at once and to decide not to handle coal in their areas.

• No blacklegging on the miners!
• Five percent levy on wages!
• Trade unions to guarantee co-op credits!
• The miners must win!

To the organised workers of Great Britain and every country

The conference of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain desires to inform the workers in every industry that the miners have been presented with a demand for an immediate reduction in wages, to be followed by further reductions later on, and for the institution of compulsory arbitration on wages, for the future.

After carefully considering the proposals and fully realising that the struggle will involve suffering for many thousands of our people the miners have nevertheless decided to reject this proposal for degrading their standard of living, which is already too low...

President: Herbert Smith
Secretary: AJ Cook