36, Pond Road,
Stannington,
Sheffield,
S6 6DP
Tel. 0114 2349737
E-mail: billronksley@hotmail.co.uk

21st March, 2009
The Editor,
Locomotive Journal.

Dear Editor,

I would be pleased if you consider the following for insertion in The Locomotive Journal.

Re.1984-1985 NUM Strike

During the entire duration of the above Strike I was the ASLEF District Secretary for ASLEF District No. 4.

In view of there being a number of pits worked by scabs in the Shirebrook Area, which was in ASLEF District No. 5, I was instructed by ASLEF General Secretary Ray Buckton to liaise with Len Mills who was the District Secretary for that Area of his District. The NUR District Organiser for a similar Area was Wilf Proudfoot so Len Mills, and myself were instructed to work with Wilf to ensure that staff refused to participate in the movement by rail of coal, coke and oil trains.

Following the commencement of the movement of coke by road transport from Orgreaves ASLEF and the NUR instructed members to ban the movement by rail from Immingham of iron ore. This additional joint trade union ban was implemented 100% but iron ore was then moved by road transport.

In the entire coal mining Area covered by Will Proudfoot, Len Mills, and myself we held frequent local joint ASLEF and NUR meetings and, contrary to what some of the new generation of the revisers of history are saying, there was total unity of train crews of both unions. There was also total unity in organising solidarity action in support of the NUM by Ray Buckton and Jimmy Knapp, NUR General Secretary. They both gave total support to us in our task of organising local support for the NUM.

Some of the revisers of history are untruthfully alleging there were signs of weakness by Shirebrook train crews. In spite of coal being mined by scabs in the Shirebook Area train crews remained united in their continued refusal to participate in the movement of coal by rail.

However, rail managers had train crews transported by coach to local power stations in an effort to convince them that the large amount of coal being transported by road would never return to rail if they did not agree to withdraw the ban on movement of coal by rail. Because of this extra ordinary pressure being put on train crews to move coal by rail Ray Buckton and Jimmy Knapp visited Shirebrook on numerous occasions and addressed train crew meetings.

One of the revisers of the history of the strike makes the ridiculous untrue claim that a single person was responsible for persuading train crews not to work coke trains from the Orgreave coking plant. Being loyal trade union members, it is insulting for anyone to claim they needed to be persuaded to violate the policy of both ASLEF and the NUR to act in solidarity with the NUM. Wilf Proudfoot, Len Mills, myself, and train crews who were members ASLEF and the NUR were successful in building a united team in solidarity with the NUM.

Whilst the activities of Len Mills and myself were confined to train crews it must be emphasised that a number of other grades acted bravely in support of the NUM, including signallers, shunters, wagon examiners, and so on.

The NUM Strike to defend the Mining Industry was supported by millions of people who held public meetings and supported the NUM in many ways, including the raising of money. However, it must be said that members of ASLEF and the NUR were unique insofar as they gave the NUM practical united solidarity.

Members of ASLEF and the NUR were instructed not to cross an NUM picket line and they carried out that instruction. Had other trade unions given similar solidarity the NUM would have been victorious within a very short period of time and the subsequent democratic, political, and economic history of this Country would have been very different.

Yours fraternally,

Bill Ronksley,
ASLEF Retired Members` Section