The Monmouthshire Merlin reviewed the effects of the strike on not just the workers, but those around them. Given the importance of mining in Scotland and the literacy of the Scottish population at this time, this seems to be a not very balanced coverage. The loss of the UK coal industry caused devastation across large swathes of the country, and some places are still only now recovering from it. 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. Coal mining and the usefulness and value of the "black gold" can hardly be discussed without the Industrial revolution. The miners strike of 1984-85 was the longest and most acrimonious industrial dispute in Britains modern history. But with both sides refusing to compromise, the strike dragged on for almost exactly a year, causing immense hardship to thousands of families, before Scargill reluctantly conceded defeat in March 1985. In some factory towns, colliery strikes lead to evictions of families because the mine owners also owned the workers homes. After the strike, statistics showed over 11,000 people had been arrested, just over 8,000 of which had been charged, but only 150-200 were given prison sentences. Source: BLS Bulletin no. But since the 1980s, the coal industry and its workers have been pushed to the periphery with disastrous results for the economic and cultural survival of British mining communities. $180 - $5k. recorded wage or price is unknown it is attributed to the calendar year in which the majority of the account year falls. Scargill predicted rightly, as it turned out that in an attempt to stem its heavy financial losses, the National Coal Board was bound to push for further closures. It was surprising to observe the amount of indifference which prevailed among the pitmen as to whether or not they and their families could be turned from their dwellings. Economics That way, he would still get a strike without having to run the risk of a national ballot. The government was offering only 5% to employees of nationalised industries, so these industrial unions also began to protest. We don't share your data with any third party organisations for marketing purposes. The coal industry in Britain was finally privatised in 1994 and is now known as UK Coal, by this time there were only 15 deep mines still in production and as of March 2005 the number dropped to 8. In South Wales, 135 pits were closed; 50 collieries and 85 private mines. Late Antique Opportunities? This act ultimately failed as the TUC refused to cooperate with the measures and increased their opposition. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The 1980 Coal Industry Act reduced the borrowing power of the NCB, thus reducing the number of subsidies granted to British mines. Furthermore, police officers were drafted in from outside the striking counties, so law enforcement was unsympathetic to the strikers. England 1980s UK HOMER SYKES RM TR9C1E - 3rd March 1985. Many women emerged from the strike in a much stronger place that their husbands who had lost the fight and would soon lose their jobs. She encouraged the police to crack down on picketing miners and badgered local Chief Constables to block the mobile flying pickets which had been so successful in the 1970s. This time around the gloves would be off. An association of workers in a trade or profession which works to protect, and advance, their rights and interests, Moving aspects of the economy from private to government control, Selling nationalised industries to private buyers and investors, Due to a severe lack of fuel, Edward Heath announced that most commercial and industrial establishments could only use electricity, would give the Conservatives a more significant majority and give him more influence in negotiations. In South Wales, the initial focus is on Onllwyn, at the head of the Dulais Valley. We've identified five states where the typical salary for an Underground Coal Mining job is above the national average. The average hourly pay for a Coal Mine Worker is $21.49. The miners were on top of the world in the 1970s, able to hold the country to ransom to stop pit closures and raise wages. The origins of the strike lay in the gradual rundown of the British coal industry, with the workforce falling from a peak of more than 1 million between the world wars to barely 200,000 at the start of the 1980s. Let's look at the two critical strikes in the 1970s. Opposition to the strike was led by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who wanted to reduce . Moderate trade unionists and the government were keen to preserve the social contract and avoid further industrial action. This time around the gloves would be off. If we said anything, they, the butty, and the reeve who works under him, would take a sticks and beat us!. When negotiations failed, Gormley called for the 1972 UK Miners' Strike. 165-167. Sources. The Miners' Federation of Great Britain became the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on 1st January 1945. 12th November 1973: The NUM stopped overtime and halved Britain's coal production. The 6 March 1984-3 March 1985, miners' strike was a major industrial action to shut down the British coal industry in an attempt to prevent colliery closures. Strikes have been used by miners as a form of protest for centuries. 85 reviews 27 salaries reported. 10 facts about the UK miners' strike By the early 1980s, domestic coal production was becoming ever more unprofitable. Some commentators worried that she was using the police as a paramilitary wing of the state. This would lead to bitter tussles between miners who carried on working throughout the strike and pickets who were quick to label strikebreakers scabs. Children challenging educational inequality in England, 1944-1970. The UK national rail strike has prompted constant references to the 1984-5 miners' strike against the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher. The strike was officially called to a halt on March the 3rd 1985. Miners lived scattered across a wide radius and this clearly diminished camaraderie and solidarity. NUM President Arthur Scargill called a nationwide strike but controversially did not hold a national ballot, so not all miners supported the strike. As the centuries continued, the populations dependence on coal increased and more mines were opened, but it was during the industrial revolution that coal mining burgeoned. 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. The Durham County Advertiser printed a short description of Davys invention. This was defined by being a breadwinner, a fighter, and a man who controlled his womenfolk. Strikes have been used by miners as a form of protest for centuries. MacGregor turned the steel industry around, making it profitable in 3 years. Their underground work was elemental, as they pitted themselves against earth, air, fire and water, and highly dangerous. Especially, during times of protests and strikes. The tragedy of the Miners Strike was that picketing did less to unite the strikers than to divide them. In the early 19th century, women and children also worked in the coal pits along with the men. But as the dispute went on, she became ever more outspoken, even describing the miners leaders as Britains enemy within. At these dates there were higher rates for power loaders which varied between districts. Another is that after the strike former miners, miners wives and children reinvented themselves, furthering their education, finding other occupations, becoming involved in other political and social causes, curating the heritage of the mining industry. Oil companies diversified into coal when oil prices spiked during the 1970s, and offered surpluses to European markets. A number of lawsuits were brought against South Yorkshire police and eventually they were forced to pay out compensation. A minority government is formed after unsuccessful coalitions - the party with the most seats controls the government but has difficulty passing legislation. How many hours did coal miners work? Leading left-winger and President of the Yorkshire branch of the NUM Arthur Scargill said: The social contract has been breached and to that extent I welcome the advances which have been made.". "But I think much more could have been obtained with a more determined and militant approach," he continued. 1991: US bombers strike civilians in Baghdad, 2001: Landmark Aids case begins in Scotland, 1975: Miners set for 35 per cent pay rises. The figures referred to are supplied annually by the National Coal Board as part of a special exercise, and comparable later information is not yet available to my Department. Some miners began returning to work from September, with many more returning by January as union pay ran out and some found it hard to pay for basic necessities. But this time was different. The remainder of the mining workforce was concentrated into large collieries using more technologically advanced methods of coal gathering. We would like to use cookies to collect information about how you use ons.gov.uk. When another miners' strike began in 1974, Mr Heath called a snap general election hoping to rally public support against the miners. It would take 2 tons of coal to make 1 ton of iron. Even further south, in Leicestershire, only thirty miners went on strike but became some of the most active missionaries of the strike nation-wide, nicknamed The Dirty Thirty. working below ground in Stoke-on-Trent between 1920-1938 was: Click the image or highlighted words to see a larger version of the Unanswered Questions . Company reviews. In April of each year the agreed national standard rates of wages for the various grades of underground workers specified in the then current coal mining agreement were within the ranges shown below. $30.30. about 5/- per day. 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. Be perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan. The miners and their families had endured months of hardship. Overall the offer falls just short of figures demanded by the NUM's left-wing at last year's conference. Create and find flashcards in record time. TABLE 2 2. Another individual wrote to the same paper, taking the side of the colliery owner. Coal output also increased to meet the higher production targets set by the NCB. The Coalmining History Resource Centre. But was it a good thing for the country that the miners lost their last battle? Three times Scargill pushed his members to vote for a national strike; three times they voted no. The average age of those killed is 32.13. In other cases, particularly in the Midlands, the mining village scarcely existed. Thatcher appointed the ruthless Ian McGregor to the head of the National Coal Board in 1983. Wages 1740-1829 as estimated in the way described in Clark and Jacks (2007), assuming the majority of coal miners then In the former the Swansea, Dulais and Neath Valleys flowed south and west to the coast at Swansea and Neath. Victorian Monetary Values 12 pence (12d) = 1 shilling (1s) 20 shillings = 1 pound (1) or 240 pence = 1 pound Modern Monetary Values 100p = 1 However, as funds ran dry and families found it harder and harder to put food on the table, destitute miners started to trickle back to work through picket lines where they were branded scabs and sometimes physically assaulted. Miners forged their sense of themselves as the shock troops of the Industrial Revolution. The coal workers had employed Colin Stanton . In 1984, 20 pits were to close, with 20,000 jobs to go- but more were to be announced. the 1974 strike was a result of a similar dispute over wage increases and coordinated with the 1973 Oil Crisis. However, violence against working miners was reported from the beginning. History Hit. Edward Heath refused the NUM's demand for a 43% pay rise and a strike was held in 1972. On 9th January 1972, coal miners across the country began striking. But as national unemployment mounted, it was obvious more closures would provoke an intense reaction. Children as young 8 could be found working for 12 or more hours a day in complete darkness. 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). By 1990, the coal industry was still employer to some 50,000 people, however from 2016 onwards this figure had fallen to less than one thousand. This led to legal action taken by out-of-work non-striking miners against Scargill's illegal strike. All the rates published are below 42. Only three years earlier, an explosion at Risca had killed thirty-five employees. Underground Limestone Miner. Other miners' strikes in the 1970s had caused the public a lot of trouble, as there had been power cuts, but this time the government had prepared well. There are signs, however, that this was gendered too, with daughters of miners doing better than their brothers. One is that the loss of the strike and subsequent loss of mining jobs put families under huge stress, hollowed out communities and replaced the organised working class by an unorganised precariat. It may take a while to download. The competitiveness of international coal prices forced British industries to move away from domestic coal, leading to more mine closures. 42,976 per year. Police from outside affected counties were bussed in to prevent picketing and strike action, and to ensure no disruption to supply lines. Mr. Peter Morrison In the 1970s, the NUM and NCB negotiated miners' treatment. Womens Experiences at the First Coeducational College at the University of Oxford, Selected further resources for research and study, Co-curating diverse histories with Uncomfortable Oxford, Exploring Histories of Health and Medicine in Oxford, OUDCE (Oxford University Department for Continuing Education), Revelations: Black History in Portraiture. Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Glasgow, is providing expertise on the Scottish dimension of the project. The third difference was the Thatcher factor. Women Miners Work to Record a More Complete History of 1980s Labor Strikes A spirit of collaborationacross oceans, among women, between miners and queer alliesmarked the miners' strikes of the 1980s.