BRITAIN: Heath Takes His Case to the Voters

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No Scenario. The meeting ended in failure; the T.U.C. felt that it had been abused, charging that Heath had made an empty offer. Next day the T.U.C. lent its own powerful clout to the miners' walkout: it announced that its members would respect the miners' picket lines. Heath then decided to call for the election, and the National Union of Mineworkers' executive committee, after considering appeals for a postponement, voted to exercise its prerogative to go ahead with the strike this week. As one of Heath's ministers put it: "There was no survival scenario left. We were stuck with an election or what would be regarded in the Tory Party as a humiliating capitulation." From the miners' view, said Union President Joe Gormley, the problem was equally clear-they needed a raise beyond the 7% limit proposed by Heath's Stage III anti-inflation guidelines. "All we need to settle this," he said, "is a cash offer." Inflation alone rose at a rate of 10.6% last year. The miners, moreover, are the lowest paid in Europe. Unskilled surface workers get $55.63 a week, skilled underground workers draw $79.83. With coal more valuable since the boosts in the cost of Arab oil, the union felt miners deserved more too and demanded raises of $17.60 to $28.60 a week.

The government claimed that it was offering a 16% raise-but close examination showed the figure was not quite what it seemed. It actually consisted of an across-the-board 7% raise, or $5.06 to $5.64 weekly pay hikes. The rest of the increase came in the form of compensation for miners who worked overtime ($10.45) and those on permanent night-shift work ($22)-about 5% of the country's miners. The package made no allowances above the standard 7% raise for those miners who do the dirtiest and most dangerous work on the coal face.

Whoever wins the election, the problem of getting the miners back to work will still remain. Wilson has indicated that he would be willing to offer the miners more money and face the inflationary consequences. Heath's hope is that the voters will decisively support his stand and that the miners will bend to such a demonstration of national will.