A UNION boss today called for controversial councillor Eddie Fisk to be dropped as Burnley's Millennium mayor -- because he refused to join the year-long miners' strike 14 years' ago.

Burnley GMB union secretary Tom Fallows is calling on ruling Labour councillors not to formally invite Coun Fisk to be civic head next year -- because he says "a blackleg is not fit" to lead the town during the important millennium celebrations.

And he says other unions could soon join the campaign to dump Coun Fisk -- who quit Labour this year following his ban from sitting on the council's housing committee after being at the centre of an inquiry into the allocation of council houses.

Mr Fallows said the ruling council Labour group's indication that it was prepared to accept controversial Coun Fisk as Mayor from next May because of his seniority on the council had angered many of his union members.

"The Labour Party and Burnley has a strong traditional kinship with miners and it is difficult to reconcile this situation.

"It just doesn't seem right that a person who helped break a strike which was perhaps the most important landmark in recent trade union history and which has had far-reaching effects on the movement," he said.

Mr Fallows said the recent ban on Coun Fisk sitting on the council housing committee following an investigation into council house allocations only served to underline he was not fit to be mayor. The union chief has written to GMB-backed councillors asking them to "search their consciences" before voting on the mayoralty issue.

Mr Fallows, President of Burnley Trades Council said question of Coun Fisk's mayoralty would be discussed by the council at its meeting next month.

"I think there are still strong feelings in Burnley because he helped undermine the strike," he added.

Coun Fisk, who caused fury during the 1984 dispute strike when he appeared on television in support of fellow rebel Agecroft working miners, declined to comment.

But Burnley Coun Harry Brooks, leader of the council Independent group which Coun Fisk joined, was defended the mayor to be.

"It astounds me that some people appear still to be happy to fight the battles of the past.

"Eddie has given many years of excellent service to the town and is eminently suitable for the role of mayor in millennium year.

"He will be the people's mayor -- a very popular choice," added Coun Brooks.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.