The whole Blantyre district was thrown idle on Tuesday 10th May 1927, by order of the Area Mining Committee as a protest against certain actions of the managements of Bardykes and Auchinraith Collieries.
Mr A. Hunter explained to a mass meeting that Bardykes Colliery had been idle for the last three days for two reasons:
- the alleged victimisation one of the workers and
- the wages of the oncost workers that colliery.
An endeavour had been made to get matters resolved with the local manager, but without success, and the men’s representatives had recourse to the secretary the Scottish Coal Owners’ Association, and had appealed to him to get into touch with the management of the colliery and see if a satisfactory settlement could not arrived at.
As to the dispute at Auchinraith, matters were much the same as they were the previous Friday, the day of the stoppage. The dispute seemed to have arisen through some miners going home from the colliery in accordance with an agreement alleged to have been arrived some time ago at Anchinraith pits, whereby the men adjusted matters that all the miners might have an equal share the work available.
The management, said Mr Hunter, and claimed that the six men who had gone home had really left the colliery, and would not allowed to return to work. It was to have these men reinstated that the idle time had been brought about. Deputation after deputation had been sent to the mine manager, but had not been received.
Mr Hunter alleged that the management’s explanation was that one of the dismissed men was one the deputation and ought not be, as he was no longer an employee the colliery. Mr Hunter alleged, however, that now the manager refused to meet and negotiate until the men returned to work. On the Wednesday, however, a deputation waited upon the Auchinraith manager and discussed the matter, and subsequently the Miners’ Area Committee recommended that work should be resumed at the colliery that Thursday. Negotiations it was stated, would be entered into; but it was understood the dismissed men were never reinstated.
Pictured is Auchinraith Colliery around that era.
