Mexborough and Swinton Times October 30, 1936

Cadeby Strike
Week of Surprises

A number of surprising changes occurred during the week in the strike declared last Thursday at the Cadeby Colliery.

The stoppage was because when 150 haulage hands declined to descend the pit out of sympathy for one of their number on whom a fine for an alleged breach of regulations had been imposed.

After a mass meeting on Saturday morning it was decided to resume work on Sunday night pending negotiations by officials of the Y.M.A. branch of a number of alleged grievances. Work was resumed on Sunday night, but on Monday, when it was learned that the lamp of the boy originally concerned had been stopped, there was another hold up. The management explained that the lamp had been stopped in error.

Following a meeting on Monday and a deputation of officials to the management, it was agreed that work be resumed on Tuesday morning, but when the workmen gathered to restart work it was learned that the management were to issue summonses against the 150 strikers for alleged breach of contract. Although the haulage hands refused to resume unless the summonses were withdrawn, and the original fine on the boy cancelled, they were informed that the management intended to go through with the summonses.

After a two hours discussion it was eventually decided on the advice of the union officials to resume work. However, on Wednesday morning appeals had again to be made by union officials to the haulage hands to go down the pit, and they moved off on a few at a time, with the result that a delay of nearly half an hour occurred in starting the shift. This caused about 100 out of some 186 coalface workers to refuse to go down the pit, their view being that they would not have time to perform the work expected of them.

On Wednesday night, about 600 men and strikers held a mass meeting, and although appeals were made by the Union leaders to persuade the strikers to resume work, they said they would not return to work unless the colony company withdrew the summonses.

As the colliery have announced that they intend to proceed with the prosecution, it seems unlikely that work will be resumed before Tuesday, when the summonses are due for hearing at Doncaster.