Lidice Shall Live

No 12 July 2013 The Durham Miner is the newsletter of the Durham Miners’ Association, General Secretary, Dave Hopper PO Box 6, The Miners Hall, Red Hill, Durham, DH1 4BB. Tel: 0191 3843515 Defend Our Communities Durham Miners’ Association Takes Up The Challenge By General Secretary Dave Hopper he Durham Miners’ Association jobs are so low that in the face of has launched a campaign to rising prices, particularly of the basic Tunite all interested parties in utilities, they find their standard of the defence of our communities. living being slashed year on year. Our former mining towns and The situation is particularly tragic for villages are now suffering a sustained our young people, large numbers of attack by the most vicious capitalist whom face a future without hope government since the hard times of and can only look forward to the the 1930s. doubtful privilege of gaining a place on one of the Coalition’s harebrained De-industrialisation of the North East schemes doing meaningless work for lost the region tens of thousands of little or no pay. Dave Hopper jobs. Now, we have Cameron and Clegg to thank for keeping us up at are small in numbers but we must Enough is enough. Our organisations not give them any room to grow. the top of the jobless league. must lead the fight on behalf of those in our society who are less Being unemployed is bad enough Only an organisation with a proven able to protect their standard of but the disgraceful onslaught on and genuine interest in the state living. We will organise opposition what are, at best, meagre benefits, of our communities can help solve but, equally important, we want to is driving people into abject poverty. our people’s problems. That is see what we can do to offer practical The most callous treatment of all, why we have embarked on a series help in communities. however, is reserved for the ill, the of meetings where we will invite everyone in the community to attend infirm and the disabled of which this This is what our movement was former mining region has so many. and discuss the problems they are created to do and we must carry on now facing and, we hope, make a These vulnerable people, who that tradition of caring for people difference. worked all their lives and paid their because we live in very dangerous taxes, are being punished for the times. It is always at a time of crisis We made a good start in Murton collapse of a system propelled by that racists and fascists try to take on 2 July and we hope to build on profit and greed. advantage of people’s despair, find that at Easington on 7 August. I urge scapegoats in those of a different you all to come along and support Even those who fall into none of colour or religion and talk the our endeavours so that their system these categories are not safe. Wages language of hatred. They are at work does not break our people and our for many of those lucky to have now in our towns and villages. They communities. 1 Dupuytrens Fascia Government Disease The Industrial Injuries Attacks Sick and Advisory Council is currently taking evidence to ascertain if the use of vibratory Disabled tools causes Dupuytrens By Contracture in mineworkers. Alan Cummings, DMA Chairman Any former mineworker who Consequently, those of our members has been diagnosed with who are in receipt of Industrial this disease should give their Injuries Disablement Benefit, details to our Area Office at: Reduced Earnings Allowance and Mineworkers’ Pension, could lose Durham Miners Association, £120 per week until they reach the Red Hill, Durham, DH1 4BB age of sixty-five. Telephone 0191 384 3515 Disability Living Allowance (DLA), which was paid to those deemed incapable of work, is being replaced with the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) but the assessment criteria is now much stricter – a Durham Miners’ measure clearly designed to reduce Association Alan Cummings the number qualifying and therefore the cost. PUBLIC MEETING n my work as one of the DMA’s The ‘bedroom tax’ is yet another Easington tribunal representatives, I scandalous piece of legislation, Ihave witnessed first hand which could force people out of Miners’ Welfare the deplorable attacks by this their family home. It is not as if 5.30 pm government on former miners and families have the opportunity to their families. The Employment move to smaller homes as there is a Wednesday 7 August Support Regulations that have huge shortage of two-bedroom and replaced the old Incapacity Benefit one-bedroom accommodation…a are nothing short of draconian. situation that can’t be rectified when Crisis in our the Government systematically Communities Now, having been assessed, a denies local councils the revenue to claimant can be placed in one of two build affordable rented housing. How Can the DMA Help? categories: the Limited Capability to Work group or the Support Group. The really upsetting thing is that the Our experience is demonstrating that Labour Party, led by Ed Miliband, even if our members have several has publicly stated that, if it wins the Durham Miners’ physical or mental health disabilities, next election, it will not change any Association Beneficial and are awarded sufficient points of the present government’s welfare to pass the threshold, it is almost policies. Membership certain that they will be placed in the If you are a former Limited Capability to Work Group. That is absolutely scandalous and a Durham miner This means they must attend up to betrayal of the principles the Labour six work-focused interviews a year Party once stood for: protecting the and wish to take where failure to attend, without most vulnerable in society. advantage of the good reason, will result in benefits services we provide being stopped. Despite these problems, the for an annual Durham Miners’ Association has subscription of £20 Members should be aware that represented our members and their Employment Support Allowance families at tribunals, in many cases apply to Area Office (ESA) is only paid to a claimant with success. We will continue with See Page 8 for details for 365 days. After that, it this work and will always be here to of services becomes subject to a means test. give help and advice. 2 Murton Meeting Spotlights Hardship man goes to the doctor’s his Executive complaining of stomach Committee is Apains. In the course of the organising a series consultation, it transpires that of community the man has not eaten for five meetings. days because his benefit has been He related many stopped and what food he had he Dave Hopper (left), addressing Murton meeting, Alan gave to his children. The doctor problems the Cummings (centre), Alan Napier (right) refers him to a local charity for a DMA had faced in in low-paid jobs. Each adult male food parcel. representing its members at Medical would lose £560 and an estimated Appeal Tribunals. In the past, there £150M would be taken out of the This is not a tale from the, ‘hard had been a cordial relationship local economy. times’ of the 1920s, or hungry 1930s between the tribunal staff, medical or a ‘third world’ country but an East experts, adjudicators and the union Millions had been axed from the Durham former pit village in 2013. but now all that had changed to Council’s budget, having a direct open hostility. This was just one example given at impact on the services it could the DMA’s meeting at Murton by provide, he said. The DCC had done Dave outlined broader problems its upmost to lessen the impact. Malcolm Fallow, Chief Executive of growing poverty and debt in the Officer of the East Durham Trust, They had suspended landlords’ former coalfield. Benefits were not Council Tax discounts on empty a charity set up to address social charity but something former miners problems in the former mining property and discounts for second had paid into all their lives and now, homes and diverted the revenue this communities of East Durham. ‘This at the point when they needed them type of problem is not something measure generated so that families most, they were being denied or previously exempt from council tax which will happen in five years’ time, made difficult to obtain. it’s happening now,’ he emphasised. would continue to get relief. He also announced that the DMA Social Fabric of Society Welfare Champions was taking steps to set up an advice Malcolm, himself from an East service in the DMA offices at Redhills However, he warned, he could not Durham mining family, went on – in cooperation with Unite the guarantee that they could do the to explain that one of the Trust’s Union – which would be staffed four same next year as the government initiatives was the creation of days a week and could be accessed was imposing even more budget Welfare Champions: respected by a dedicated telephone line. cuts. He said that his priority was members of the community trained to maintain the social fabric of our to help anyone experiencing More Meetings Planned communities, as our forefathers had hardship and difficulties. done, and that he fully supported The DMA will be holding meetings the DMA’s campaign. ‘I honestly These men and women were, he like this once a month in different believe,’ he said, ‘this work will save explained, given extensive training villages and he urged everyone to lives’. in the intricacies of the benefit talk about it in the communities and In a lively discussion, members system, were in regular contact with get more and more people to attend of the audience gave many other agencies, including Citizens and discuss their problems.

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