Unleasant Surprise for Denaby Workers

July 1928

Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Wednesday 25 July 1928

Unleasant Surprise for Denaby Workers

A serious notice affecting workmen employed at the Denaby Main Colliery was posted on Monday night, as follows:

“Owing to the serious depression in the trade, the Barnsley seam of this colliery may in all probability be closed in the course of the next few weeks.”

Notice came as a great shock to the miners in Denaby, for Denaby and Cadeby Collieries have a reputation of working more regularly than any other pits in the district, and it was thought that the quota scheme would be able to be carried on in Denaby without serious unemployment.

In an interview with Mr Still, the manager of the Denaby Main Colliery, a representative of the “Sheffield Daily Telegraph” learnt that the notice was in the nature of a warning to the workmen employed at Denaby that they might be out of employment in the next few weeks.

“When the closing of the seam takes place,” said Mr Still, “is uncertain. There are so many factors entering into the matter that nothing definite can be said.”

Denaby employs over 2000 men, and about 500 will be affected, as well as a number of surface man, the number which cannot yet be determined. The Barnsley seam is the older of the two seams at Denaby Colliery, and has worked ever since the pit started. The new seam, the Parkgate seam, has worked since about 1911, and employs a majority of the workmen at Denaby.

This decision, Mr still said, was a serious one for the management, as well as for the men, and it was only after very careful consideration that they had taken the drastic step of deciding to close part of the Denaby Colliery. The period of time during which the workmen would be unemployed was indefinite. “It might be for three months, and it might be for nine months,” said Mr Still.

Cadeby Position

Enquiries made at the possibility of similar notices been posted at other pits controlled by the group showed that there was no immediate prospect of this been done. At Cadeby, there was a possibility of a portion of the district being closed down, but if that were done the men would in all probability be absorbed in other portions of the pit.

At Yorkshire Main, Edlington, controlled by the Doncaster College Association, the pit has been idle during the whole of this week.