Union of Democratic Mineworkers

Infobox Union|
name= UDM
country= United Kingdom
affiliation=
members=
full_name= Union of Democratic Mineworkers
native_name=


founded= 11 December 1984
current=
head=
dissolved_date=
dissolved_state=
merged_into=
office= Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England
people=
website=
footnotes= The Union of Democratic Mineworkers is a British trade union for coal miners, which is based in Nottinghamshire, England. It was provisionally established on the 11 December 1984 during the UK miners' strike (1984-1985) by miners who wished to defy the strike call without a national ballot of the National Union of Mineworkers, and its leader, Arthur Scargill. In its defence, the UDM pointed to Scargill's refusal to call a ballot on strike action and to the widespread opposition to the strike which existed in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. Even throughout the strike, the UDM maintained the NUM's overtime ban, as this had been constitutionally called.

Outside Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire; however, the union was widely regarded as strike-breaking association and was greeted with hostility and resentment by the strikers and by the labour movement in general.

Initially, the Nottinghamshire miners organisation remained within the NUM. This was possible due to the federal structure of the national union that granted a great deal of autonomy to its regional organisations. During the strike, despite attempts from Arthur Scargill to postpone area elections (he was thwarted in the courts) the Notts. NUM elected officers almost exclusively from the "working" miners. These officers included Roy Lynk - later to be rewarded with an OBE - and Neil Greatrex, a high feeding "Fat Cat" who is the current General Secretary of the UDM and is looking to benefit personally from pioneering the sale of some old established woodland on Berry Hill Park, Mansfield in his role as a Trustee. There is growing resistance to these plans to sell off some land and allow the development of housing on what can only be described as a beautiful established park, enjoyed by many residents and visitors alike.

The UDM was widely criticised in March 2004 after it was revealed that its top two officials received pay and benefits of over £150,000 each, despite membership having fallen to 1,431. [cite web
title=Strikebreaking union accused of profiting from sick miners
work=Guardian Unlimited
url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1159240,00.html
accessdate=2007-04-25] The union's relationship to "Vendside", a firm which specialises in obtaining compensation from the British Government for former miners suffering from mining-related ailments, has also been widely criticised.

References