T H I S DOCUMENT IS T H E PROPERTY OF H I S BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
Printed
for
the Cabinet.
December1945.
SECRET.
Copy No.
C P .
(4S)
349.
27th
December,
1945.
CABINET.
COAL MINING
NATIONAL
UNION
OF
INDUSTRY.
MINEWORKERS.
MEMORANDUM BY THE MINISTER OF FUEL AND POWER.
I t h i n k i t m y d u t y t o i n f o r m m y colleagues of c e r t a i n s u b m i s s i o n s r e c e n t l y
m a d e t o m e b y t h e N a t i o n a l U n i o n of M i n e w o r k e r s a n d t o call a t t e n t i o n to t h e
implications thereof.
S i n c e t h e p r e s e n t G o v e r n m e n t t o o k office a n d a n n o u n c e d i n t h e K i n g ' s S p e e c h
i t s i n t e n t i o n t o n a t i o n a l i s e t h e c o a l m i n i n g i n d u s t r y I h a v e been m a i n l y c o n c e r n e d
( a p a r t f r o m t h e p r e p a r a t i o n of t h e N a t i o n a l i s a t i o n B i l l ) w i t h t w o i m m e d i a t e
p r o b l e m s , t h e p r o d u c t i o n of m o r e coal a n d t h e r e c r u i t m e n t n e c e s s a r y t o m a i n t a i n
adequate man-power in the industry in future years.
On both these problems
I h a v e s o u g h t t h e c o - o p e r a t i o n of t h e N a t i o n a l U n i o n of M i n e w o r k e r s . O n t h e
first I h a v e p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e G o v e r n m e n t c a n r e a s o n a b l y e x p e c t a g r e a t effort
o n t h e p a r t of t h e N a t i o n a l U n i o n of M i n e w o r k e r s a n d t h e m i n e r s t o p r o d u c e
m o r e coal t o m e e t c u r r e n t n e e d s in s u p p o r t of t h e policy of n a t i o n a l i s a t i o n . O n
t h e second I h a v e u r g e d t h e n e c e s s i t y f o r s t r e s s i n g t h e i m p r o v e d p o s i t i o n of t h e
i n d u s t r y u n d e r t h e e x i s t i n g W a g e A g r e e m e n t a n d t h e n e w p r o s p e c t s offered by
n a t i o n a l i s a t i o n a s r e g a r d s s e c u r i t y a n d g e n e r a l c o n d i t i o n s so a s t o e n c o u r a g e boys
a n d young men to enter the industry.
T h e N a t i o n a l U n i o n of M i n e w o r k e r s f r o m t h e o u t s e t p r o m i s e d c o l l a b o r a t i o n
i n increasing production a n d set u p a n organisation u n d e r M r . H o r n e r for this
purpose.
T h e y a l s o u n d e r t o o k to d e a l w i t h a b s e n t e e i s m t h r o u g h t h e L o d g e s
f o l l o w i n g m y d e c i s i o n t o d i s c o n t i n u e p r o s e c u t i o n s . T h e i r efforts h a v e m e t w i t h
some success in c e r t a i n d i s t r i c t s a n d lodges, b u t a r e f a r f r o m h a v i n g been
u n i v e r s a l l y successful e i t h e r i n i n c r e a s i n g p r o d u c t i o n o r i n d e a l i n g w i t h
absenteeism.
A s regards recruitment, certain miners' leaders have found it
difficult to d i s c o n t i n u e old h a b i t s of d i s p a r a g i n g t h e i n d u s t r y i n t h e m i n d of t h e
p u b l i c a n d y o u n g people by d w e l l i n g o n t h e a r d u o u s a n d d a n g e r o u s n a t u r e of
c o a l m i n i n g a n d t h e u n w i l l i n g n e s s of m i n e r s ' sons to e n t e r it.
T h e r e h a s also been p r e s s u r e f r o m c e r t a i n l e a d e r s of t h e N a t i o n a l U n i o n
of M i n e w o r k e r s for t h e i m m e d i a t e i n t r o d u c t i o n of a 5 - d a y w e e k , e a r l i e r e n d i n g
of t h e S a t u r d a y s h i f t , a f o r t n i g h t s h o l i d a y ( i n s t e a d of t h e p r e s e n t w e e k s h o l i d a y )
w i t h p a y , h i g h e r r a t e s of c o m p e n s a t i o n f o r a c c i d e n t s or d e a t h . S o m e of t h e s e
p r o p o s a l s , e.g., 5 - d a y week, r e q u i r e c a r e f u l e x a m i n a t i o n f r o m t h e p o i n t of v i e w
of t h e i r effect u p o n t h e o u t p u t of coal ( t h i s is n o w b e i n g e x a m i n e d i n m y D e p a r t ­
m e n t ) a n d of t h e i r r e p e r c u s s i o n s on o t h e r i n d u s t r i e s . I h a v e m a d e i t c l e a r t h a t
I a m not opposed in p r i n c i p l e to t h e proposals p u t forward. I have, however,
p o i n t e d o u t t h a t b o t h t h e N a t i o n a l U n i o n of M i n e w o r k e r s a n d t h e L a b o u r P a r t y
h a v e a l w a y s t a k e n t h e v i e w t h a t t h e best c o n d i t i o n s could n o t be p r o v i d e d f o r t h e
m i n e r s u n d e r p r i v a t e o w n e r s h i p a n d c o u l d o n l y be a c h i e v e d as a r e s u l t of
n a t i o n a l i s a t i o n . A c c o r d i n g l y , I h a v e u r g e d t h a t e x c e p t i n so f a r a s t h e y c a n be
d e a l t w i t h u n d e r t h e e x i s t i n g c o n c i l i a t i o n m a c h i n e r y of t h e i n d u s t r y a n d t h e
e x i s t i n g W a g e s A g r e e m e n t w h i c h r u n s t i l l 1948, t h e y m u s t a w a i t t h e r e s u l t s
w h i c h w e h o p e to a c h i e v e f r o m n a t i o n a l i s a t i o n .
A t a m e e t i n g w h i c h I h a d w i t h t h e E x e c u t i v e of t h e N a t i o n a l U n i o n of
M i n e w o r k e r s o n t h e 1 8 t h D e c e m b e r , a n u m b e r of t h e M e m b e r s of t h e E x e c u t i v e
took t h e l i n e t h a t t h e y w o u l d find it i n c r e a s i n g l y difficult t o d e a l w i t h a b s e n t e e i s m
[31073]
and to continue the c a m p a i g n for. increased production and the encouragement
of r e c r u i t m e n t to the industry unless some of their proposals w e r e accepted a t
once. T h e y indicated t h a t they w e r e d o u b t f u l whether, i n t h e absence of a
prospect of some concessions i n the near future, production w o u l d recover a f t e r
the C h r i s t m a s holidays.
S o m e of t h e m also raised the q u e s t i o n of w a g e s .
H i t h e r t o i t had been generally a c c e p t e d t h a t the e x i s t i n g w a g e structure w o u l d
continue to be governed by the W a g e s A g r e e m e n t of 1944 w h i c h runs u n t i l 1948,
but certain Members of the E x e c u t i v e a r g u e d t h a t recent increases i h w a g e s
a n d other concessions g i v e n t o r a i l w a y m e n , dockers, &c.,, h a d disturbed the
r e l a t i o n s h i p previously e x i s t i n g between t h e w a g e s and conditions of miners a n d
those i n other industries. T h e y s a i d t h a t t h e increased w a g e s or h o l i d a y s i n t h e s e
other i n d u s t r i e s h a d been brought about as the result of strikes or t h r e a t s of
strikes a n d that this h a d been noted by t h e m i n e r s w h o h a d h i t h e r t o not taken
a d v a n t a g e of the n a t i o n a l need for coal to press their claims.
T h e i m p l i c a t i o n of w h a t w a s s a i d a t the m e e t i n g on the 18th December i s
that h a v i n g regard to w h a t has h a p p e n e d i n other industries, w e cannot assume
that the introduction of the Coal N a t i o n a l i s a t i o n B i l l and the prospect of
n a t i o n a l i s a t i o n w i l l prevent claims being p u t f o r w a r d , especially on such m a t t e r s
a s increased h o l i d a y s w i t h pay, a n d p e r h a p s on w a g e s , regardless of the a d d i t i o n a l
burden t h a t m i g h t thereby be imposed u p o n t h e N a t i o n a l Coal B o a r d . These are,
of course, m a t t e r s w h i c h f a l l to be dealt w i t h at present by the o r d i n a r y concilia­
tion machinery of the i n d u s t r y and, u n d e r the present W a g e s A g r e e m e n t , in the
last resort by arbitration, but I think m y colleagues should be a w a r e t h a t these
m a t t e r s m a y be p u t f o r w a r d a n d pressed a t a time w h e n the Coal N a t i o n a l i s a t i o n
B i l l w i l l be p a s s i n g through P a r l i a m e n t , a n d t h a t such action m a y p r e j u d i c e the
p r o d u c t i o n of coal before the w i n t e r is over, a n d also p r e j u d i c e t h e already
critical recruitment position, a n d therefore n e x t year's coal b u d g e t prospects.
I need h a r d l y say t h a t I shall do e v e r y t h i n g w i t h i n m y p o w e r t o prevent a n y
action t h a t is calculated to i m p e d e p r o d u c t i o n or j e o p a r d i s e the a c t i v i t i e s of the
proposed N a t i o n a l Coal B o a r d .
E . S.
Ministry
of Fuel and Power, S.W.
27th December,
1945. 1,