Ray Davies is a Labour member of Caerphilly County Borough Council, representing Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen. He was a boy miner, is a trade union activist and campaigns on numerous issues. Here he gives his thoughts on the Soma mine explosion.
As I listened to the tragic news of the Turkish mining disaster, I could not help the tears flowing down my cheeks.
It brought back many memories.
Last year we commemorated the centenary of the 1913 Senghennydd disaster, when 451 men and boys’ lives were snuffed out in an explosion which could have been prevented.
I lost a great uncle, and my grandfather called it murder.
I remembered the 1950’s explosion in Bedwas, a colliery where I had worked as a boy, which left miners dead and injured. Survivors of that accident told of the severe throat pains caused by a mixture of carbon monoxide, gas and smoke inhalation.
These poor Turkish miners suffered horrible, painful deaths.
Their local communities are devastated and broken. As in Senghenydd, the pain will never leave them.
The Turkish Miners’ Union has – rightly – gone on strike. The recent privatisaton of Turkish mines have put the mens’ safety in second place to profit.
Whilst the bereaved suffer, the mining bosses who were responsible will still live in their big houses.
Those left behind are calling it murder.
And it is.
Well said Ray.
With proper investment and machinery all mining deaths will be prevented. China have modified a tunnel boring machine to be controlled form above ground. All they do is drive it through coal rich areas and have the coal taken up by a conveyor belt from behind. No worker goes underground and production is 3 times higher.
So who repairs this wondrous machine when it breaks down? How do they support the roof when doing so?
It’s a tunnel boring machine. Think a large submarine with a cutting blade on the front. If the tunnel collapses during maintenance, the workers will be protected in a metal cylinder with limited supplies until rescue. Also, concrete slabs are placed up against wall for support.
It’s a great step forward as far as safety and production goes, but leads to many, many job losses.
Okay, let’s go for it. We won’t lose a single mining job as so few are now employed in the industry. The reverse would probably be true as coal mining expands. We need to exploit coal as nuclear power is far too dangerous because of the waste nuclear fission produces. It costs more in energy and treasure to safeguard this waste than any benefit we obtain from the small amount of electricity produced.