SINCE the coal industry was privatised in 1994, successive governments have creamed off £7 billion in surpluses accrued by the two pension schemes covering workers in the industry.

When the remains of the coal industry were privatised, an agreement was struck with the government under which it would underwrite any future losses. In return the pension funds had to share any surpluses the funds accrued 50-50 with the government.

At the time that this arrangement was entered into by the pension fund trustees it was thought by the government of the day that this would be a good deal as it could expect to receive £2bn from the pension schemes over the first 25 years.

To date, the government has received in excess of £7bn — money which could be giving much-needed help to retired miners and miners’ widows.

This is far in excess of what they expected to receive and it cannot be fair for the government to receive an equal share of the scheme surpluses for providing a guarantee that has not cost them a penny to date. An equal share is not the same as fair share. They should get something for providing the guarantee, but it should reflect the level of risk the government has taken on, which to date has proved to be minimal.

Successive governments have refused to change this grossly unfair situation — which is nothing less than legalised theft. The NUM is campaigning to right this injustice.

It is just one of the campaigns being fought by the union.

With the demise of Britain’s deep-mined coal industry, the National Union of Mineworkers no longer has the industrial and political influence it had back in the 1970s and ’80s.

But the work of the union continues. Pits and jobs have gone but there are still legacy issues that affect former mineworkers and their dependents that the NUM continues to fight and campaign on.

The NUM continues to work with and support the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign in the fight for a public inquiry into the policing at Orgreave and the strike as a whole.

While the Battle of Orgreave was a well-publicised event during the strike, as many who picketed up and down the country will tell you it was not a unique event. The tactics the police used at Orgreave were used on numerous picket lines throughout the strike.

The NUM welcomes the decision of the Scottish government to hold an enquiry into the policing of the 1984-85 strike north of the border and calls on the Home Secretary to put aside party politics and make a decision based on what is right, not what is in the interests of the Tory Party.

The Justice for Mineworkers campaign continues to raise funds for members dismissed during the great strike. The funds raised are distributed to the remaining men who have never been able to find employment since being dismissed as a result of supporting the NUM.

Blacklisting is a shocking and illegal practice. But it seems that miners have been subjected to it, just as workers in other industries. In the case of sacked miners, they have been victims for 33 years.

These men stood up for their union, their comrades and their communities, and for this they deserve to be supported.

Pneumoconiosis is another key issue.

While everyone who worked in the pits did so knowing that it was a dangerous job, not all the dangers were visible.

This is true in respect of industrial diseases and especially pneumoconiosis, a disease that can affect former miners long after they have left the pit.

While there are compensation schemes in existence through which former mineworkers can claim, the process is far from straightforward and in many cases made more complicated than it needs to be.

The NUM continues to assist former members to access compensation that they are entitled to within the existing scheme, as complicated and inadequate as it is, while also campaigning for changes to the scheme in order that the levels of compensation more accurately reflect what they were intended to be when the scheme was introduced.

This includes more accurate tests to identify pneumoconiosis.

The NUM has seen an increase in the number of widows seeking union assistance following the death of their husbands where it has been found at post-mortem that their loved one suffered from pneumoconiosis for which they never claimed — or did claim but were under-compensated at the time because of inaccurate tests.

There is also a tendency for coroners to not record on the death certificate the existence of pneumoconiosis, or to record it in general terms as industrial disease.

This practice prevents the family from pursuing a posthumous claim for benefit and a payment from the Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis Scheme (CWPS).

It also bars them from claiming a payment through the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO) for a £1,500 death grant.

The NUM continues to represent former mineworkers and their families both through the national union and the remaining NUM areas to access the compensation they are entitled to.

The NUM remains committed to providing a service to our members and former members while ever the need is there — and to preserving the history of the NUM and the coalmining Industry.

The Durham Miners’ Gala is a fantastic event which not only celebrates the history of coalmining and trade unionism, but also the importance of communities. It demonstrates that our communities are still relevant today — and it is great to see so many people of all ages taking the time to attend the Gala and to take part in the celebrations.