Why the Net has the advantage in the ‘Undies world’
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Sacrifice has led miners to fight
Saturday 29th March 2008, 9:45AM GMT.
I would like to highlight the reasons we are fighting for improvements to miners’ pensions.
Miners have always been caring and benevolent towards their own community. Because our work underground was dangerous, we needed “eyes in the back of our heads”, so our mates became that and watched our backs for us.
Due to this “closeness”, a brotherhood was born, and when a shout went up that men were injured, or had tragically been killed, the miners responded with little or no regard to their own risk. As part of this unity, our forefathers formed a union, so that even the meekest of men had a voice, and a protection from a bullying employer who would seek to exploit this timidity.
Our elders were also far-sighted, always seeking improvements to our terms of employment, and also to the infrastructure in which we lived.
From their meagre wages they helped to pay for the building of schools for our children, and colleges for further education so that miners could study and perhaps go on to become colliery managers or union reps. Some of them became Members of Parliament, and carried our trust and our voice with them. They built hospitals to tend the sick, and convalescent homes to help in their recovery. They paid towards children’s parties and seaside trips for the retired; they built playing fields and parks for exercise and recreation, so that all of our society could benefit from a miner’s labour.
Many other structures still stand today because of a miner’s generosity. All of this was paid for from a miner’s pitiful wage. What other part of working-class history has given such a sacrifice? They also formed a pension fund that was designed to give them dignity and independence in old age, without becoming a burden on society, and it is this fund that now provides in part for us.
It is against this historical background of self-sacrifice that we, who are the beneficiaries of these gifts, must fight to secure a dignity for the very people who gave, and we must continue to press the Government to make the long-promised improvements to our pension fund so that our own elders may get a better deal from the fund – their fund.
Mick Westwood, Spokesman for Cannock Chase Retired Miners & Officials Association, Ironstone Road, Burntwood.
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Mick Westwood, ……. I echo and endorse your sentiments with regard to the Mineworkers circumstance both past and present.
My Father was a miner and so was my Grandfather …. my Wifes father was a miner so was her grandfather and as children growing up we saw first hand the back breaking effort our parents endured to earn our daily bread.
I don’t think any industry in the history of the British Isles has contributed more to the well being or prosperity of the Nation than the Mining industry .. and no Industry has at times been treated more shabbily.
As a schoolboy I descended a mile below the surface at the Hilton Main Colliery in Staffordshire and witnessed firsthand that which my Father was subject to on a daily basis to earn our daily bread and it made me realise at that time what the Populace of Britain owed to its Mining Industry …… all of these family members are long deceased …. but Mick Westwood fight on long and hard to ensure that retired Miners of today are able to retire with the Dignity they deserve………………
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I am visiting the Cannock area this month, staying at the home of Geoff and Hilda Teece of Heath Hayes. My father (also uncles, grandfather, etc.) worked in the coal mines in the Cannock area before coming to the United States. I know how difficult the mining industry was in the States as well as in England. I believe that the retired miners are worthy of every penny that they are requesting. What a dedicated, back-breaking job they have performed. More power to them!!!
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I endorse all the comments made. It amazes me that we managed to even get men go down these mines so willingly. They deserved every penny they earned and ex-miners should be rewarded with a decent pension. One cannot but wonder how many Moslems ever worked in the mines or do now.
Miners and the coal industry served this country well for many generations and I am certain that this country will one day rue the decision to destroy the mining industry.
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Sure they should get a decent pension. If they paid into it.
Just like anyone else.
However, if they didn’t pay into a pension scheme on top of state pension, why should they get more than others with equally dangerous or worse jobs?
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This wonderful description of the saintly miners nearly had me in tears. But what has it got to do with pensions ? Where are the comparative figures to show how they are worse off than other sectors for the same working lifetime ? This is just sob-story rhetoric designed to gain sympathy for a particular group of people.
As Martin Davies above said, if they paid into a pension fund then let them get full benefit from it, proportional to how much they contributed.
There are many other sections of the community who also make great contributions to the world we live in but they aren’t expecting special treatment.
The miners were very well paid for the work they did and I am sure they get a good pension compared to others in these troubled times. Let’s not be greedy boys – you know what happened last time the miners got greedy – the mines were closed down.
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“Our elders were also far-sighted, always seeking improvements to our terms of employment, and also to the infrastructure in which we lived”.
This is Unionspeak for – we priced ouselves right out of the market but still expect somebody to pay us.
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Mr; Jones, We priced ourselves out of the market.?
Our forefathers paid into a pension scheme that should have given them a good living in retirement, but instead of that the government have stolen £4.6 BILLION of our funds. We have 24,444 retired miners who receive less than £10 a week from THEIR OWN PENSION FUND.
Contrary to your suggestion sir, we expect only what we have paid for.
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Every pension fund has members who only contributed for a small part of their working life before moving on to do something different. Those short-term members only get a small pension.
Tell me this : a) how many of the 24,444 who get less than 10 pounds per week were just in the fund for a short time and b) how much does a miner with full contributions get ? I bet it is far more than people in other industries get.
What I see here is yet more misinformation being used to support an unsupportable case.
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