The miners' vote was on the wage offer

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announced a list of pits to close. Instead, the NCB will continue, as they have done recently, to pick off individual collieries.

But the result of the ballot, regardless of the wording, does not mean that the NUM should, or will, sit back and see pits shut down left, right and centre. The intentions of the Tories are plain.

Recent projections published bu the Department of (Dinnington NUM)

Energy envisage a sharp contraction in the use of coal by the turn of the century.

One of the hardest things in the world is to pick ourselves up after a defeat. But that is what militants in the mining industry have now got to do.

A battle lost. does not mean the war is lost. The next battle is over Britannia, Kinneil, and Snowdown. So dig in now. claim, and to the way Arthur Scargill conducted that campaign.

His regional meetings, so hated by the right wing, were a breath of fresh air in the trade union movement - a trade union president going out of his office to do what he or she should be doing, campaigning amongst the members for policies to defend wages and jobs.

We salute him for that and hope sie will continue.

Unfortunately, it is clear now that the mood was not strong enough on wages to win the vote, and wages over. In fact, : it has not begun.

Recent history shows that miners will respond to a national lead against pit closures, and Arthur Scargill is absolutely right since the ballot to say that nothing is settled and the fight will go on. There must be another national ballot. All closures must continue to be an issue for the whole industry.

Miners must be allowed to vote with the issue of pit closures squarely in front of them. Under those conditions, this setback can be very rapidly reversed.

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PLAYTO CLOZAI Organiser no.107 November 4 1982 Page