10 facts about the miners' strike

0 items. Between March 1984 and March 1985, more than half the country's 187,000 miners left work in what was the biggest industrial dispute in post-war Britain. From an economic and ecological point of view, the answer is yes. The villagers, many of them in tears, cheered and clapped as the men of Grimethorpe Colliery marched back to work accompanied by the villages world-famous brass band. The Miners' Strike of 1984-1985 was an attempt by miners to stop the National Coal Board (NCB) and the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher shutting down collieries (mines). Twenty years ago on March 5, 1984 the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) embarked upon the most important class struggle in Britain since the general strike of 1926. She now represents Rainworth South and Blidworth as a Labour councillor and believes the pit closures show they were right to strike. This type of fuel is very popular for open fires, or places where there is a fuel ban on unseasoned wood and coal etc. The 1980 Social Security Act had reduced the benefits that striking miners' families received. On April 20, 1914, machine gun fire rang out over a makeshift tent city near Ludlow, Colorado, marking the beginning of a day-and-night conflict known as the Ludlow Massacre. By the early 1980s, domestic coal production was becoming ever more unprofitable. Desperate to preserve their jobs and communities, which often depended entirely on the local pit, the Yorkshire miners walked out, as did their Scottish counterparts. Later that day, miners at the Cortonwood Colliery in Yorkshire walked out on strike. Free and expert-verified textbook solutions. One downside to the luxury is having to clear up the ashes once the fire has burnt down. After all, they are incredibly cost-effective due to their lifetime longevity guarantee and are incredibly easy to use. On 6th March 1984, the NCB planned to reduce Britain's coal production by 4 million tonnes and put around 20,000 mining jobs at risk. 12th November 1973: The NUM stopped overtime and halved Britain's coal production. "Even now people ignore me if I say hello," says Yvonne Woodhead, 35 years since her husband decided to join miners across the UK in going on strike. Read [], The UK first discovered coal around 1575 when Sir George Bruce opened the first coal mine, however it wasnt until the mid-16th century that the use and production of coal expanded rapidly. That way, he would still get a strike without having to run the risk of a national ballot. preferred parking dodger stadium. Fig. Here at Pearson Fuels, we are proud to offer high-quality house coals for all your indoor needs! This figure was said to be closer to 70 according to Scargill, however, the government denied this claim many times. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. There were rumours that the new Coal Board chairman, Ian MacGregor, wanted to close an additional 70. //--> The conflicts witnessed between police and picketers were very different from the 1972 and 1974 strikes. A minority government is formed after unsuccessful coalitions - the party with the most seats controls the government but has difficulty passing legislation. Many of the miners had been part of multi-generational mining families. In 1980, Secretary of State of Industry Sir Keith Joseph appointed a Scottish-American economist Ian MacGregor as head of the nationalised steel industry, British Steel. The second difference was that the government was far better prepared in 1984 than it had been 10 years earlier. Miners left their pits to fight the attempt of the Thatcher government to close the collieries, break the miners' union and the labour movement in general, and open the way to a free market economy in which deregulated financial capitalism would be set free by the Big Bang of 1986. Sign up to highlight and take notes. A whole culture and identity had grown around coal mining, and with the loss of the mine, much of the cultural activities and infrastructure that had grown around it, from brass bands, to working mens clubs to NCB-sponsored sports and leisure facilities disappeared along with it. "We sat for hours talking about it when we got home, but I'd rather have him at home with me than six feet under, so we had to do what we had to do.". What was one of the defining violent events of the 1984 Miners' Strike? Here at Pearson Fuels, we want to educate our readers on the differences [], Here at Pearson Fuels, we believe that knowledge is what makes the world go round! With this said, it is important that customers invest in logs that have been seasoned in order [], It is important that homeowners understand why chimney sweeping is an essential component in the burning of carbon-based fuels like coal and firewood. At one stage during the miners' strike the government hoped it might catch red-handed someone from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) trying to smuggle a suitcase full of banknotes into Britain. You can listen to a podcast interview with Dominic about the early 1980s here, Dominic Sandbrook is historian and presenter, and a regular contributor to BBC History Magazine, Save up 50% when you subscribe to BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed PLUS! "I didn't know them from Adam; it was frightening. Since no formal ballot had taken place, the courts ruled the strike illegal and, in a bid to prevent miners from striking for a prolonged period of time, it was also deemed illegal to claim state benefits. Although there was clearly violence on both sides, miners leaders often complained that the press exaggerated strikers violence while ignoring the abuses of the police. First, the miners were divided. 3. The strike was officially called to a halt on March the 3rd 1985. This period came to be known as the "Winter of Discontent", spanning the winter months between 1978 and 1979. It had all been for nothing. Mrs Woodhead, now 68, remembers how during the strike, she borrowed plastic cups from a local school for the strikers' children to use. After 362 days, many strikers returned to work disheartened at the lack of progress made by a union that, for many, had started the strike against their own best interests. According to a poll by the Opinion Research Corporation for the Evening Standard, published on 31 August 1984, some 94 per cent of the public disapproved of pickets' tactics and, when asked to pick between working and striking miners, 74 per cent sympathised with working miners compared to just 19 per cent with strikers. The coal industry was nationalised in 1946, which protected miners' jobs but also meant the government could decrease their wages. This law proved to be a highly effective aspect of the government's handling of the 1984/5 strike as it made life extremely difficult for the miners and their families, contributing to the eventual return to work. California did not have the first gold rush in American history. This meant that Thatcher was essentially forcing the mining families to survive on next to nothing in order to force them to return to work. The history of strikes in the UK. With this said, Britain is a country famous for its coal mining era and our economy [], Now that summer is here we have the perfect opportunity to get o the BBQs and start grilling. Thatcher's government reduced the power of the Trade Unions and the pressure they could exert on the government, ending the strike in 1985. The police launched mounted truncheon charges against the miners, leading to 51 pickets and 72 police being injured. Read about our approach to external linking. In Stanley Baldwin. All Rights Reserved. A flying picket was the organised transportation of strikers to strategic workplaces, such as coal processing plants. But the public vote went against him resulting in victory for the Labour Party. "I found him and said: 'You're coming with me, or you can go up that lane and get yourself killed.'. The decrease in miners' wages led to Joe Gormley calling for a 43% increase. With this said, the government have recently announced their plan to [], Many people are surprised to discover how easy it can be to start a fire. Amid the crisis, on June 28 Pres. The miners' strike was an attempt by the miners and unions to prevent the closure of 20 collieries across the UK. To this day both sides have their impassioned partisans. Stop procrastinating with our smart planner features. The defeated miners returned to work and the pit closures would go ahead. It would take years and millions of pounds of investment before the situation in Grimethorpe was reversed. Posted on . Official striking began when these negotiations failed. The dispute was bloody from the outset, with deaths on both sides. It is true that coal production decreased and time lost to strikes increased throughout the war. The strikers used a strategy known as a "flying picket", in which miners would be transported around the country to join picket lines and gain other miners' support. Will you pass the quiz? Some felt that the actions of striking miners against those who chose to continue to work were unreasonable. On 9th January 1972, coal miners across the country began striking. The successful strikes in the public sector during the winter of 78-79 (known as the Winter of Discontent) had soured public opinion on striking workers due to the considerable inconvenience it had caused the wider public. After all, there are a [], Society has been burning fuel inside the home for hundreds of years in order to obtain heat, however it hasnt always been plain sailing as the chimney was considered a luxury when it was invented in the 12th century. 1,238,101 pounds of stone, sand, gravel, and cement. the 1984 strike protested Thatcher's plans to close mines and de-nationalise the coal mining industry. However here are some other facts about coal and its development and properties that you might not have known. Rolling blackouts, coal shortages, and severe transport disruption were the unfortunate side effects that had played a large part in Thatchers Conservative government coming to power in early 1979. Here, historian Dominic Sandbrook revisits the longest and most acrimonious industrial dispute in Britains modern history: the miners strike of 198485. In fact, the strike is considered the longest industrial dispute regarding mining closures to this day and has paved the way for a more efficient mining industry. NUM President Arthur Scargill called a nationwide strike but controversially did not hold a national ballot, so not all miners supported the strike. With coal stocks high, the miners divided and public opinion firmly against the strike, he was always facing an uphill struggle. The Yorkshire and Kent miners were the first to go on strike and they were quickly followed by those located in Scotland, South Wales and even Durham. AETNUK. This meant that, unlike in 1972 and 1974, there would be no power cuts and no forcing the governments hand to come to the negotiating table. But it was more than that: to the communities involved, from Scotland and South Wales to Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, it often felt like an undeclared civil war, pitting village against village, family against family even brother against brother. Upload unlimited documents and save them online. A coalition is when two or more parties agree to lead the government together, meaning that combined, they have more than half of the seats in parliament. Read on as []. Nearly 25,000 miners of the non-union fields in our district answered the strike call, and a great number of them, after 14 months, are still on strike. After all, both of these materials release carbon and soot during combustion which pass through the flue of a chimney in order to be removed from a property. 'Neither he, nor anybody else . [], When it gets colder theres nothing better than lighting a cosy fire to curl up in front of but remember to always follow the fire safety guidelines. As these towns and villages were often built solely around employment in the mine, closures meant mass redundancy in an area with little-to-no other employment opportunities. The local colliery's closure (including the mine and all additional buildings or offices) meant almost certain death for the mining communities built up around them. With the news of her death at the age of 87, emotions remain high . Tonypandy riots. In the 1970s, the NUM and NCB negotiated miners' treatment. On the one hand, the government, along with the National Coal Board, were increasingly aware of the growing costs of the mines, along with the fall in demand. The story of Billy Elliot became one of the best movies about ballet and often brings up the question 'is Billy Elliot a true story?' Despite being fiction, it did have some real-world inspiration. While the miners of Kent, Scotland, the North East, Yorkshire and South Wales downed tools and took to the picket lines, their counterparts in the Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, South Derbyshire and North Wales coalfields carried on working. The violence was filmed and came to be a horrific image in the memory of the strike. MacGregor turned the steel industry around, making it profitable in 3 years. How much will it cost to install? Pullman Strike, (May 11, 1894-c. July 20, 1894), in U.S. history, widespread railroad strike and boycott that severely disrupted rail traffic in the Midwest of the United States in June-July 1894. Grover Cleveland and Congress created a . Heath promised a new style of government to strengthen the economy after Wilson's poor management. The aim was to shut down both coal production and its transportation to all but vital services such as hospitals and nursing homes. 5. In 1972, Miners for Democracy candidate Arnold Miller was sworn in as the President of the UMWA. When the strikes finally ended on 3rd March 1985, the NUM had made no headway with their demands. When the miners went on strike (May 4, 1926) and they were supported with sympathetic strikes in other vital industries, Baldwin proclaimed a state of emergency, organized volunteers to maintain essential services, and refused to negotiate further with labour until the strike was called off (it ended May 12, 1926).. The three most famous strikes in Modern British history are the 1972, 1974 and 1984 Miners' Strikes. Over 100,000 coal miners had been on strike since the spring, and production was at a standstill. When did the Trade Union Congress call the General Strike? What were flying pickets in the miners' strike? She conceded a, Arthur Scargill, president of the NUM, called for another strike. Today fewer and fewer remember March 1984 - and many that do might wish to forget it - but the tensions the strike created are often only just below the surface. How Thatcher broke the miners' strike but at what cost? She studied chemistry at university and then she became a barrister, passing the bar exam in 1953. 2010. During this time gold was discovered in California. Here are ten facts about the UK miners' strike and how it changed the history of industrial action in the country. The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA)-represented miners at Warrior Met Coal had called a strike on April 1, citing alleged unfair labor practices and bad faith bargaining by the company; on . "Some people haven't spoken to each other since it started," she says. The nationwide strike was a last attempt by the mining unions to save the industry after the National Coal Board announced 20 pits in England would have to close with the loss of 20,000 jobs. Since 1979, Nigel Lawson, the Secretary of State for Energy, stockpiled up to 6 months' worth of coal in case of further strikes. Download the Pearson Fuels App for iOS & Android Devices. StudySmarter is commited to creating, free, high quality explainations, opening education to all. Furthermore, police officers were drafted in from outside the striking counties, so law enforcement was unsympathetic to the strikers. It didn't seem like the strike would end any time soon. But galloping over the horizon would be the woman who would prove to be their nemesis Margaret Thatcher. Now the IPCC is to probe claims of assault . This is because it is now illegal to burn any other type of coal in the UK under the clean air act, brought in to help alleviate the problem with smog and pollution [], Theres nothing more comforting than having a roaring fire in your home stove when the weather is cold outside, or having your chiminea or fire pit crackling away on a warm evening. Nearly one million coal miners went on strike in Great Britain. [CDATA[// >