National Office
My Union Journey

A frank discussion with union president Neil Greatrex

Tell us about your background, your family and your route into the mining industry Neil.

Until a couple of years ago I'd lived in Kirkby in Ashfield my whole life. My grandad, dad and three brothers all worked at Bentinck pit. My grandad, who was a deputy at the pit, was killed in a mining accident during World War Two. I was the youngest son and because of my dad and grandad's experiences, my mother didn't want me on the coalface. I wanted to be a joiner but they were only on £2 a week - but all my mates were getting £8 a week down the pit, so I left after two weeks as a joiner and joined them. I was 15.

Can you share some of your memories of those early days?

It was hard work but you won't find the kind of closeness that existed among people who worked in British mining in those days. I have lots of memories of great fun and regular practical jokes – like dropping a slice of orange peel in a bag filled with water and giving it to the young lads, telling them to look after the goldfish, or the pit pony races the lads used to have at the end of the shift to see who could get out first. It was strictly forbidden, of course, and very dangerous!

What stands out most for me is the camaraderie that existed working down the mine and the knock on effect that had on the whole community. In those days we didn't have to worry about things like anti-social behaviour – mining communities more or less policed themselves. If kids were out misbehaving at night, their dad would hear all about it down the pit the next day from his workmates and would sort it out as soon as they got home. We all worked with each other and for each other – if there was an accident, no matter whether it was your best friend or someone you didn't like, everyone downed tools to help out. It was just the same when anyone fell on hard times, we'd have regular collections. It simply doesn't happen in the same way today.

When did things began to change, do you think?

The most divisive thing that ever happened to the mining industry was the introduction of incentive schemes. They set faceman against faceman and resulted in some men earning fortunes on rich seams while men working on a face with geological problems could see their money drop overnight. It brought a lot of divison.

What prompted you to become such an active union member?

By 1972 management wanted to change Bentinck - which was then the biggest producing mine in Europe – from a three to a four-shift system. The coalface I was working on at the time was the most productive in Europe and management wanted an agreement that the rest of the pit would be on three shifts but that our face, where up to 70 men were working, would be on gruelling four-shift system. We weren't simply going to accept this.

On October 26 th 1972 I got married to Sheila. While we were enjoying our reception at the Bentinck Miners' Welfare the Union was meeting downstairs to determine whether to accept this agreement. I left my wedding reception – along with 20 of my guests - to go down to the meeting and we lost by a single vote. I left, telling the union that I planned to start a campaign and would shift the lot of them from office.

The next union election was in June ‘73 and we had a clean sweep, with every one of those union officers voted out. Two years after that, our treasurer stood down and I took on the role as “caretaker” and the year later our president died and I took on that position, coming to the offices at Berry Hill as a full-time official in 1985.

What are your memories and thoughts about the events leading up to the split from the NUM?

We'd had many concerns about Arthur Scargill and his talk of British Coal's “hit list” of 50 pits for closure but contrary to the allegations of “greedy” Notts miners, we joined in fully with a six-month overtime ban and not an ounce of coal was mined in this county during that ban.

However, when it came to the issue of strike action, Scargill denied us a voice. The future was decided - for me certainly - the day I got a call to say 300 Yorkshire pickets were outside the pit. We had a young paraplegic lad working at the pit who had been injured underground and had switched to a desk job in the office. He used to come to work in his three-wheel vehicle and the lads would carry him from his car inside to his desk.

After confirming to me they were peaceful pickets these pickets stopped this young lad and said “We want you out on strike” and he answered: “When there's a national vote.”

Their response was to just pick his car up and tip it – with him still inside. I hit the roof and that really made us even more determined that we would work on and fight for a constitutional vote.

Two weeks into the strike I got a message from the union that they'd agreed a deal - Scargill would withdraw the Yorkshire pickets if Nottinghamshire shut every pit for a county strike ballot the next day. My reaction was that was much too late - and Bentinck was the only pit in the country to work that day. It's a sign of the feeling at the pit that our members voted 83 per cent against striking until the union ran a national ballot.

What are your thoughts on the final split from the NUM

We took on Richardson and Chadburn because Nottinghamshire miners weren't being represented. When Richardson was sacked by the NUM I was elected and then a special conference was called to try to discipline us – so we took the decision to form a new union.

I had 20 years with the NUM before becoming a full-time union official and I thought it was the strongest union on earth. I still feel it was – until someone decided to chuck the rule book away. The split that caused can never be healed and that's my biggest regret. Since then the industry has died.

Your determination had major repercussions for you personally, didn't it?

There was so much bitterness and nastiness – families were split down the middle and parents who never spoke to their children again – including my own dad who didn't talk to me for six years after the strike leading up to his death.

I was very left wing before the strike and no-one could believe I took the stance I did but we'd get phone calls saying your house will be the first to burn down. We used to have to push the settee up against the window in the evenings and tuck the curtains down behind it so that when the bricks came through the window they'd at least fall down behind the settee.

One of the worst incidents happened when I was down the pit one day and got a call to say that 90 pickets were outside the house making threats of murder and rape against my wife and daughters – who were 10 and two at the time.

What was it that gave you the strength to stick to your guns?

I was very outspoken against Scargill's tactics on TV but we were being labelled scabs and there was no-one talking for Nottinghamshire miners.

The ironic thing is that I'd begged Scargill to wait for a national ballot, to unite with us. I'm convinced that had he agreed, and put it to a national vote, he would have walked it - and Thatcher would have caved in.

Do you regret any of the decisions you made at the time?

I have no regrets. I made my decision the instant I saw what those men could do to a fellow miner in the name of peaceful picketing. It made us all resolve to continue working and fight for our right to a vote.

You've told us what you regret most. What are you most proud of?

One of the proudest days of my life was getting married.

Throughout everything Sheila went through during the dispute, she never complained – not once.

It wasn't until a couple of years ago, when the UDM celebrated our 20 th anniversary, that Sheila agreed to speak to the press for the first time – she was never willing to during the dispute.

I watched her interview and she was saying that even now when we go out in public she is forever watching my back for me – I never knew that. But Sheila felt I had enough on my plate without extra “trouble” at home – so she used to handle things herself. She felt as strongly as I did that it was our constitutional right to a vote - and she always supported me 100 per cent.

 How do you feel the union has evolved since the Eighties? What do you see as your most important role and has this changed over the last couple of decades ?

Our goal for some years has been to keep the mines open for as long as possible, to protect the interests of our members - but it has been getting more and more difficult. This country's been relying on imported fuel for some years and I think it's criminal for a nation as rich as ours.

Fortunately we have been able to reprieve Harworth, which has been mothballed for 2 years, we have reached an agreement at Thoresby to develop a new seam and extended the reserve base at Daw Mill, giving long life prospects for all 3 collieries.

But we've had to adapt to the changes in the industry and accept that, with all the pit closures, the union has to diversify if it's to stand the best chance of looking after our members. We've been able to champion the needs of our members and other people from the industry through he coal health claims. Personally, I resisted at first because I felt the compensation culture would shut more pits down but the scheme has been immensely successful in helping miners and their families.

We've also taken a look at the NHS and been able to develop a first class medical welfare service in which we can pay for minor operations for our members.

How would you sum up what the UDM offers its members today and how do you see it shaping up in the future? What are the major issues you feel you need to address now?

Back in 1992 I begged the Tories to phase the closure of the pits, as Poland had done. They were very successful in finding other work for their miners. But Michael Heseltine wasn't interested and he came up with a British Coal scheme that helped very few of our miners. Most people who were successful in getting other work outside mining did it themelves.

We're fortunate that we were in a position, through the hard work of all the unions, to offer a good pension scheme and many men over 50 were able to manage with part time jobs combined with their pension.

Our priority today includes finding other options for pitmen who face the closure of mines in the future.