Letter: Coal industry shutdown 'will have a demoralising effect on the whole nation'

Sir: In 1991 we undertook research into British Coal, part of a continuing project to investigate the nature and patterns of learning among managers in a number of organisations.

In conducting one-to-one, in- depth interviews with a sample of British Coal managers, we were struck particularly by two factors: their willingness to change and their commitment to their organisation. This was evidenced by their readiness to tackle (and meet) commercial requirements and to make appropriate changes to their managerial styles. Linked to this was their obvious commitment to British Coal for the benefit of their communities and the nation. Many worked very long hours and were prepared to meet the new demands associated with the continuing survival of the coal industry.

In general, we found the mangers to be very able, certainly comparable to managers in the private sector. They are not feather-bedded bureaucrats; they are real managers who are managing in real markets.

It was with great dismay, then, that we read in Wednesday's Independent of the list of colliery closures. It would seem that many of the individuals we interviewed are now being made redundant, despite having turned their collieries into profitable concerns. To us, this appears to be very short- sighted.

British Coal's future needs to be decided on the basis of a long- term strategy that fully uses the talents of its employees, rather than on meeting short-term goals

Yours faithfully,

BEN BENNETT

CAROLINE CUNNINGHAM

Roffey Park Management

Institute

Horsham, West Sussex

15 October