Pit support

Wayne Thomas of the NUM offers strong backing to Carwyn Jones

Now, Wayne Thomas, General Secretary of NUM South Wales has offered a personal endorsement of the candidate he believes is best placed to defend miners’ interests. Wayne said: “In the 1980’s Wales’ miners joined the national miners strike and took on the Tory government to fight to protect our jobs and our communities. Throughout Wales the support we received from ordinary families , trades unionists and labour party members was tremendous. But we lost. Thatcher was hell bent on destroying trades unionism and all we stood for. The Tories had no qualms about throwing whole communities on the scrap heap and seemed oblivious to the rampant unemployment affecting so many of our communities.

“Yet after all the damage the Tories did, the NUM is still here. Everyone knows the Tower story which put paid to the lie that our pits were unprofitable and that there was no future for coal. They shut profitable pits and replaced the jobs and coal the pits produced with imported coal, often tainted with the blood of foreign miners working in unsafe and low paid conditions.

“The need for coal didn’t disappear, it was just no longer produced in our own pits. Tower proved that we could still supply some of our energy needs by locally produced coal. Since Tower closed many of our miners transferred to two new mines at Unity in Pentreclwyddau and Aberpergwm, former British Coal mines that were being redeveloped privately.

“Carwyn Jones, on a recent visit to Aberpergwm colliery where he met with representatives of the two mines and the union proposed the establishment of a coal industry forum to co ordinate the needs of the
producers and users of our coal. As a union we welcome this proposal as the way to co ordinate the industry, protect and increase jobs and the valuable apprenticeships now available to our new generation of young miners. A new mine at Margam would be the strongest indicator yet of Tata’s commitment to the future of steel production at Port Talbot and a guarantee to thousands of steel related jobs as well as creating 500 new jobs.

“Many of Carwyn’s family worked in the mines near Brynaman and at Abernant, so he understands the needs of the residual industry and our members well. He also understands that coal remains a small yet important part of our manufacturing base in Wales. Over the coming years we will need the support of the Assembly in funding training for new apprentices and to retain mining skills in Wales. We believe Carwyn’s innovative proposal is the way forward.

“As a union we will be supporting Carwyn Jones for leader of the Labour Party in Wales and as First Minister because we believe he has the foresight , understanding and vision that will see coal in Wales as a small but important part of our future industrial economy over the next few decades.”