Most Nottinghamshire miners refused to strike, as did smaller groups of miners elsewhere. Wider implications, however, meant that it was perceived as a much larger class battle being waged by the government. Around 5,000 picketers matched 5,000 police officers at a British Steel Corporation coking plant in Orgreave, Yorkshire. Opposition to the strike was led by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who wanted to reduce . He hoped the public would give the Conservatives a more significant majority and give him more influence in negotiations. However here are some other facts about coal and its development and properties that you might not have known. Arthur Scargill, president of the National Union of Mineworkers from 1982 to 2002. This would lead to bitter tussles between miners who carried on working throughout the strike and pickets who were quick to label strikebreakers scabs. Get FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. 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. The miners' strike was an attempt by the miners and unions to prevent the closure of 20 collieries across the UK. The aim was to shut down both coal production and its transportation to all but vital services such as hospitals and nursing homes. Many of the miners had been part of multi-generational mining families. "I found him and said: 'You're coming with me, or you can go up that lane and get yourself killed.'. The Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1899 was the largest gold strike in Canadian history. Here, historian Dominic Sandbrook revisits the longest and most acrimonious industrial dispute in Britains modern history: the miners strike of 198485. Where once there had been a steady source of employment for generations of men, there was now nothing. The strikes ended on 5th March 1985. After all, affordability and efficiency can be incredibly convincing! 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. At first, this was not a problem as local union branches had deep pockets and could pay miners at least some of money they were no longer receiving from the NCB. Copper Strike 1913-14. On the 6th of March 1984, the decision to strike was made in protest of the governments long-term plan to close up to 20 collieries. And Thatcher had another powerful weapon on her side the police. The miners' strike 1984-85. Letters. In fact, we may be known for our range of high-quality coals, but that doesnt mean that we [], As the government continues to crack down on the use of residential fuels like bituminous coal, it is safe to say that alternative options are becoming more and more popular. Some felt that the actions of striking miners against those who chose to continue to work were unreasonable. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) called the strike to prevent wage reduction and worsening conditions for coal miners. McGregor was a Scottish-American metallurgist who had already streamlined Britains nationalized steel industry, stripping it of 95,000 jobs, closing down plants and bringing British Steel from making an annual loss of 1.6 billion to near profit. Labour formed a minority government as Heath refused to agree to a coalition and resigned. This time around the gloves would be off. Very quickly, therefore, the strike became a trial of strength between two exceptionally abrasive public figures. In 1984 there were 174 deep coal mines in the UK by 1994 the year the industry was finally privatized there were just 15 left. Edward Heath introduced the 1971 Industrial Relations Act which introduced a legal framework for how Trade Unions operated and controlled how miners' wages could change. From the start, Scargill was confident of victory. While investigating facts about Coal Miner's Daughter and Coal Miners Cafe, I found out little known, but curios details like:. A change in the law meant that the dependents of miners were not entitled to benefits, as they had been during the strikes of the 1970s. As a result, the strikers never really came close to causing the kind of coal shortages and power cuts that might have brought victory. The Coal miners' strike of 1873, was a strike against wage cuts in the Mahoning, Shenango, and Tuscarawas Valleys of northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania. Create beautiful notes faster than ever before. The strike was declared illegal five months after it started in September 1984. Coal was a profit-losing business in a country increasingly turning towards a services-led economy. Big Annie of Calumet leading strike. When groups of strikers travel to picket different workplaces. He determined that at least twenty unprofitable pits must be closed immediately for economic reasons, which was met with great suspicion by the National Union of Mineworkers, in particular the unions leader, the firebrand Arthur Scargill. One of Thatcher's key aims was to limit the role of government so that Britons changed from "dependent" to "self-reliant". 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. The strike was led by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) against the National Coal Board. Margaret Thatcher had refused to concede to any of the NUMs demands, and new miners' unions had started to gain traction among workers who lost faith in the NUMs ability. Coal deposits were starting to deplete, and the number of miners across the country was dropping as alternative forms of employment were on the rise. This would often end in violent clashes with police. What fuel do I want to burn? 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. History on our Side: Wales and the 1984-85 Miners' Strike, Ferry Side: Iconau. The strike of the union miners was for a continuation of the wage rates; that of the non-union miners was more, it was also a strike to end fear. Roughly how many jobs were at risk when the National Coal Board announced its plans to reduce Britain's coal production by 4 million tonnes in March 1984? "There are people here that will not go into a certain pub or a certain shop because 'that's where the scabs went'. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Meanwhile the newspapers played up every skirmish for all it was worth. Margaret Thatcher was born on 13th October 1925 in Grantham, Lincolnshire (England). Here are ten facts about the UK miners' strike and how it changed the history of industrial action in the country. Read on [], There is nothing more aesthetically pleasing that the crackling sound that an authentic woodburning fire makes, and it can really make a cosy night in front of the TV all the more special. Mrs Woodhead, now 68, remembers how during the strike, she borrowed plastic cups from a local school for the strikers' children to use. Nottinghamshire was the home of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM), whose members continued to work after splitting from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), arguing the strike had not been approved in a vote. During much of 1984, Britain was hit by some of the worst industrial action the country has ever seen, as the National Union of Mineworkers downed tools and upped pickets to resist planned cuts to . 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. This act ultimately failed as the TUC refused to cooperate with the measures and increased their opposition. The miners and their families had endured months of hardship. The miners, their families and their communities deserved better than that. With this said, it is important that certain guidelines are followed during the combustion of [], When it comes to firewood as a fuel choice, it is important that homeowners understand the importance of moisture and why logs should have a moisture content of 20% or below. In order to ensure that our clients are able to make the most out of their investment in [], Here at Pearson Fuels, we recognise the appeal of firewood and why it has remained such a popular fuel despite the abundance of coal throughout the 20th century. The Public Administration sector, Education sector and the Transport, Storage, Information and Communication sector have seen the most working days lost to strikes per 1,000 employees since 2006. Theirony is that had he been president there would have been no strike. Six surprising facts about the Gregorian calendar, The real-life women who inspired WW2 screen heroines, Blood feud: 4 conflicts between royal siblings, The Tyburn Tree: London's premier execution spot, Yorkshire's Nostradamus: The life and prophecies of Mother Shipton. To find out more information, get in contact with the best coal merchants on the market and speak to a member of the team today. What were flying pickets in the miners' strike? Like Scargill, Mrs Thatcher struck a remarkably aggressive, uncompromising tone right from the start. Some commentators worried that she was using the police as a paramilitary wing of the state. 24th January 1974: The 1974 miners' strike began. Although it was Miners' Federation policy to fully co-operate until the end of the war, coal output declined steadily from 12 million tons in 1942, to 11 million in 1943, 11 million in 1944, and just over 10 million tons in 1945. After all, there are four different varieties of coal but only two of them can be used safely and efficiently for residential burning. After all, more and more households are choosing to invest in a stove in order to safely burn their chosen fuel for a competitively affordable price. 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. 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. Since 1945, the need for British coal mining decreased due to the importation of coal, other sources of energy such as oil and natural gas, and changes to pollution legislation. 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. 28,213 pounds of salt. Sign up to highlight and take notes. 10 facts about the miners' strikeperiodic 3m system meetings with department heads 10 facts about the miners' strike. When a walkout at Cortonwood Colliery in South Yorkshire occurred on the 6th of March 1984, the Yorkshire branch of the NUM sanctioned a strike across the county. Why is Anthracite an Eco-Friendly Domestic Fuel. But Scargill denied that there was such a thing as an uneconomic pit, and argued that every colliery should be kept open, no matter how much it cost. Under immense pressure, the government compromised with the NUM, offering a wage increase of around 30%. Its the worlds largest source of energy as its primarily carbon thats used to generate electrical power. The 1980 Coal Industry Act reduced the borrowing power of the NCB, thus reducing the number of subsidies granted to British mines. There is no one deciding factor as to who was to blame for the miners' strike. 4 The 1984 Miners' Strike divided the nation but demonstrated Thatcher's new approach to how the government would deal with Trade Unions. Child gold miners are often found in the Sahel region of Africa (mainly in Burkina Faso and Niger). 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. The UK deep mining industry has now completely disappeared. But the public vote went against him resulting in victory for the Labour Party. From Thatcher's election in 1979 to the start of the miners' strike, 1,600 jobs were lost every week in Britain with hardly a squeak of resistance from some union leaders. As they prepared to march back to work on that frosty morning in March 1985, the men of Grimethorpe Colliery had no idea of the destruction to come. On 9 th January 1972, coal miners across the country began striking. Heath's campaign was famous for the phrase 'Who governs Britain: the government or the miners?'. 21 September 2015. 5 The police force was integral in dealing with the 1984 Miners' Strike when conflicts arose. Who was in power for the 1972 UK Miners' Strike? Heath promised a new style of government to strengthen the economy after Wilson's poor management. Their tenure in the area was marked by peaceful protection of non-union workers and chaperoning parades of picketers. California did not have the first gold rush in American history. [CDATA[// >