Miners Strike footnote:-Tower Colliery Closes Today

[chymaera]

To those of us who remember the miners strike, Tower Colliery which was famously subject of a buyout by the miners and kept going profitably shuts today. (Coal mined out.)
News item here:-
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news...e-to-keep-tower-colliery-open-91466-20382192/

The battle to keep Tower Colliery open
Jan 23 2008 by Robin Turner, Western Mail

Tower Colliery, Wales’ last deep coal mine, will close on Friday. Ann Clwyd gives her personal account of the Tower story, and tells how Mars bars helped her through an underground protest aimed at saving the threatened pit shortly before miners decided to press for an historic buyout

 

[cesare]

End of an era

 

[Belushi]

Yup, well done those men.

60 will be moving over to the newly opened Aberpergwm Pit in the Neath Valley, there are also plans to reopen the Unity Mine near Cwmgwrach.

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

They are marching out of the pit in the way they marched back to restart production after they bought it. A fitting tribute. They saved the economic fortunes of an area and some made themselves pretty well off but it was a massive gamble at a time of recession

 

[Rollem]

Wales' last deep coal mine closes today

Wales' last deep mine is set to close later with a celebratory march reminiscent of the parade miners staged after they bought the pit 13 years ago. Tower Colliery in Hirwaun, Rhondda Cynon Taf, was taken on by 239 staff, each pooling £8,000 redundancy to buy it after it closed in 1994.

In January 1995, the miners marched back to the pit as proud owners.

Now, as a lack of coal closes the colliery for good, the men will march away from the pit and salute it.

people power

 

[chymaera]

Already a thread about that.

 

[chymaera]

Yup, well done those men.

60 will be moving over to the newly opened Aberpergwm Pit in the Neath Valley, there are also plans to reopen the Unity Mine near Cwmgwrach.

That is good news.

 

[Rollem]

where? <looks left and right>

oh well, cant have too many threads about things like this....

 

[MrFalafel]

Just as long as they don't close the noodle mines.

 

[Rollem]

^arf!

 

[chymaera]

where? <looks left and right>

oh well, cant have too many threads about things like this....

Miners Strike footnote:-Tower Colliery Closes Today

 

[dessiato]

Link: http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=237648

 

[Rollem]

oh well....

 

[Roadkill]

They are marching out of the pit in the way they marched back to restart production after they bought it. A fitting tribute. They saved the economic fortunes of an area and some made themselves pretty well off but it was a massive gamble at a time of recession

IMO that makes their achievement all the more impressive.

It's a bit sad that Tower is closing, but it's for the best of reasons and it's good news that some of its workers have got jobs at other pits.

 

[aqua]

threads merged

 

[lewislewis]

Look like some of the few workers that are actually happy with their job.

I think what they did was brilliant. Shows that Thatcher didn't have the last laugh in this case (although of course this was after her time).

This is the spirit of workers co-operation that characterises the history of the working class in Wales, which was the first industrialised working class in the world.

 

[1927]

Yup, well done those men.

60 will be moving over to the newly opened Aberpergwm Pit in the Neath Valley, there are also plans to reopen the Unity Mine near Cwmgwrach.

In a past job I was at Aberpergwm to witness the sealing of the original drift, it was sad day watching men who had worked there for years spending their last working day sealing up the place they had worked!

 

[Gavin Bl]

I saw one of the men waving a red flag with 1831 on it, in reference to the Merthyr rising, Hirwaun being one of the areas affected.

 

[niclas]

I was surprised by the blanket coverage BBC Wales gave the matter - I guess workers' control is OK once it's history
Still, it was a shock to the system to hear Tyrone on the main telly news talking about workers having the ability to do anything, that the bosses knew nothing and demystifing the whole entrepreneur/enterprise myth with "anyone can do it".

 

[ddraig]

last days of tower on bbc1 Wales now