Pit Production Committee Hitch – Denaby Y.M.A. Not Able To Co-operate

February 1942

South Yorkshire Times Times – Saturday 14 February 1942

Pit Production Committee Hitch

Denaby Y.M.A. Not Able To Co-operate

When five employees at Denaby Main Colliery appeared at Doncaster on Saturday for breach of contract through absenteeism, Norman Hulley, Agent and Manager, said the Pit Production Committee had ceased to function as from December 15th, 1941. Just before that date, he said, a circular was received from the District Production Council, on which there were representatives of both sides, laying down the procedure to be followed by local committees. Including cooperation by both sides.

When the circular was discussed it was intimated to him by the Y..M.C.A. branch /secretary that there were no Instructions front the branch to co-operate on the local committee, and consequently ha felt it was a waste of time.

The Chairman (Mr. Mark Nokes) recommended the Denaby Main Y.M.A. branch to discuss any differences with the colliery management and that more grievances could be settled that way than by any other.

Mr. A. S. Furniss prosecuted, and said the prosecutions were at the instigation of the Amalgamated Denaby Collieries. Ltd.

Claims of £10 each against the men, Bernard Sheldrake, Samuel King and George Willoughby, colliers and Alfred Clements and Frank Greenbelt, contractors mates, were allowed.

Clements and King were the only two men to appear in court, and they were ordered to each pay £2 coats and the other three men £3 costs. Mr. Furniss said the men had been warned by the Pit Production Committee when it functioned.

The type of excuse put forward by the men were:—Willoughby: invariably absent on Sundays because they were short of food at his lodgings: King: no excuse: Greenall: teeth trouble; Clements: did not like his present lodgings. Sheldrake lost the company 108 tons of coal, Willoughby 92 tons. and King 85 tons.