South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 07 January 1961
Deadlock at Denaby
Pit Strike Position
After a stormy two hour meeting attended by about 700 Denaby Main miners last night, the strike position at the pit was still one of deadlock.
N.U.M. officials, Mr. Sam Bullough (Yorkshire Miners’ President), Mr. Sid Schofield (Compensation Agent) and Mr. Abe Collins (Yorkshire Area Agent) pleaded with the men to return to work so that negotiations can be opened with the colliery management about the wages and conditions dispute which has thrown over 1,200 men idle.
The strike was sparked off in the Parkgate seam on Wednesday by the refusal of the manager, Mr. Desmond Metfge, to allow more than six men to work on a team “filling in” where coal had been cut. The Barnsley seam shut down later in sympathy.
This was the latest in a series of clashes between Mr. Metfge—burly six-footer, nicknamed “Cheyenne”—and the men which caused a strike a few months ago resulting in a demand by the miners that he should be removed. Following this, the men’s own N.U.M. branch officials resigned and nominations to fill these vacancies close this Saturday.
It was clear last night that the men are still adamant about the manager’s removal.
Mr. Abe Collins, who worked at Denaby for 27 years, said after the meeting that he and his two colleagues had heard the men’s grievances and decided of a top level N.U.M. conference in Barnsley this week-end would be made known to them at another mass meeting on Sunday morning.
Mr. Collins also said that to-day (Friday) Mr. Bullough and Mr. Schofield would be meeting Mr. W. H. Sales (Chairman of the North Eastern Divisional Coal Board) in Doncaster “about another matter,” but that the current issue affecting Denaby Main might be mentioned to him then.