Seam With Too Many Miners – Marking Time at Denaby

September 1955

South Yorkshire Times September 24, 1955

Seam With Too Many Miners
Marking Time at Denaby

In the Parkgate seam at Denaby Main colliery the NCB are in an unusual position. There are too many men to do the work in the seam.

Some of the men when they are arrive at work in the morning are put on other jobs.

When asked why there were two many men here when other pits were short of men, County Councillor G.M.Hanson, secretary of Denaby Main N.U.M., said that it was due to a hold-up in the development of the seam. The NCB had been recruiting men to work there as they expecteed to be very short when the seam was further developed.

Due to the nature of the ground and the irregularity of the coal seam the work had taken longer than was expected and the men were recruited before they were needed.

There were 40 coalface workers too many, but when the development of the seam was complete there would be a shortage of about 60 men.

Asked whether the NCB could recruit, county Councillor Hanson said that there was now no incentive for men to come to Denaby as the NCB could not offer them houses and other than normal recruitment there was no way of getting them.

It was not yet certain when the seam will be fully developed.