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Miners across Yorkshire began strike action and on 12 March, a national strike was declared by the NUM, but no official vote was held. Joseph Gormley presided over a period of relative harmony in the coal industry for the rest of the 1970s and achieved the relatively peaceful closure of 40 pits in that period. 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. England 1980s UK HOMER SYKES RM TR9C1E - 3rd March 1985. STRIKES Many of our readers will remember the miners' strike of 1980s. The strike had politicised mining families and encouraged many of them to become involved in other causes, to become local councillors or even MPs. Their job was considered one for life and the pay was customarily a family wage. Stop procrastinating with our smart planner features. Thatcher stockpiled coal in 1979 and changed striking laws to reduce benefits to strikers. Police Incident report from Northumbria, 1984. and demonstrated his inability to recognise the country's troubles. 104-8, for 1871-94; F.A. All the rates published are below 42. But the public vote went against him resulting in victory for the Labour Party. By 1992, Grimethorpe Colliery had ceased operating and the miners had all been made redundant. The industry relied heavily on government subsidies. This book traces these competing narratives at the level of individuals but also seeks to ascertain which narratives dominate at the regional level: stories of triumph, stories of regeneration, stories of fragmentation and failure. We discover how individuals became involved in the strike, what strike and support action they were engaged in and what happened to them afterwards. In South Wales, 135 pits were closed; 50 collieries and 85 private mines. the 1984 strike protested Thatcher's plans to close mines and de-nationalise the coal mining industry. Police Clashing with Miners During the 1984 Strike. They generally married young and had many of children. Work safely and follow all federal and state laws and regulations as well as Company and Site Specific policies. Coal was a profit-losing business in a country increasingly turning towards a services-led economy. Mining had provided generations with a steady income, homes for life and a strong sense of belonging. + 4 more. I durst now say anything. Children explained how they were fitted with a girdle and chain around their body to pull the coal out of the mine. You can unsubscribe at any time. Many other industries joined in solidarity with the miners. asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT as In the media, the striking miners, working miners and the police were cast as little armies sweeping backwards and forwards across the countryside. Copyright 2023 - Faculty of History, George Street, Oxford, OX1 2RL It created legally binding agreements over wages and supply. Get 6 issues for 19.99 and receive a 10 gift card* PLUS free access to HistoryExtra.com, Save 70% on the shop price when you subscribe today - Get 13 issues for just $49.99 + FREE access to HistoryExtra.com, Your guide to the miners strike of 198485, The 1888 Matchgirls strike: how a group of East End women changed British labour history. Although the 1984 Miners' Strike was ultimately a failure, Scargill's tactics had encouraged more militant action. 89W During the last thirty years over 10,000 men and boys have been killed and 25,000 have been injured in this industry. Massachusetts beats the national average by 2.4%, and Tennessee furthers that trend with another $3,049 (4.9%) above the $62,005. Strikes have been used by miners as a form of protest for centuries. This entailed privatising state-own industries, thus reducing the subsidies provided by the government. 1991: US bombers strike civilians in Baghdad, 2001: Landmark Aids case begins in Scotland, 1975: Miners set for 35 per cent pay rises. The 1980 Social Security Act had reduced the benefits that striking miners' families received. If they did not, and risks the safety of everyone in the colliery, they could be fined or imprisoned. This would lead to bitter tussles between miners who carried on working throughout the strike and pickets who were quick to label strikebreakers scabs. As much as they were producers, the quintessential homo faber, above ground miners were also fighters. Fig. Miners wives, in even greater numbers, returned to education and became teachers, social workers or probation officers. Your email address will not be published. The film is set in Northern England in the mid-80s and explores gender stereotypes, different social classes, the 1984 miner's strike and the use of police violence. The intention at the outset of the project, was to focus on a fixed number of mining villages, one for each coalfield. In County Durham the focus is on Chester-le-Street, where the pits at Pelton Fell and South Pelaw closed in the 1960s but which acted as a turntable between the inland plateau and the coastal area. That way, he would still get a strike without having to run the risk of a national ballot. Secondly, it is a local and regional approach, a close study of certain mining communities in the context of their region. Police from outside affected counties were bussed in to prevent picketing and strike action, and to ensure no disruption to supply lines. We don't share your data with any third party organisations for marketing purposes. Wilson also picketed at. A FINANCIAL adviser who plundered almost 1m from a Welsh coal miners' pension fund was jailed for three years yesterday. Therefore, in 1984, miners were not being paid, and their families were the only ones suffering from the strikes. From the 1960s, however, as pit closures set in, miners were redeployed to more efficient mines outside their area. 248 reviews 16 salaries reported. Three months of negotiations with the National Coal Board ended in deadlock four days ago with an offer. The average weekly wage (in New Money) for miners What did Nigel Lawson, Secretary of State for Energy, suggest that aided the government's response to the 1984 Miners' Strike. Camaraderie was a watchword: they looked out for each other in the dangerous work below; their lives depended on it. In traditionally non-militant Nottinghamshire, many miners resented being strong-armed, as they saw it, into a strike without a ballot. Many of the richest coal fields had been worked out and the number of miners had been decreasing over the previous few decades. Flying pickets were made illegal in the 1970s by the Conservatives. The government announced on 6 March 1984 that 20 collieries would close, meaning that many mining communities would lose their main source of employment. Coal Wage Index Average day wages of male coal miners 1830-1869 are given by Church (1986). Company reviews. 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. | Report other issues | © UK Parliament. Down in a coal mine, there's no such thing as a "nine to five." 2 This poster advertised the mining industry to Britons during the Second World War. continued in many areas. When did Margaret Thatcher become the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain? Some commentators worried that she was using the police as a paramilitary wing of the state. $32k - $76k. The strike caused Britain's energy supplies to suffer greatly, and Heath had to schedule national blackouts. Life for the residents of Grimethorpe got worse following the closure. Findmypast | You can adjust your preferences at any time. The average salary for a Miner is 40,407 per year in United Kingdom. 8 hour shift. The competitiveness of international coal prices forced British industries to move away from domestic coal, leading to more mine closures. Around 5,000 picketers matched 5,000 police officers at a British Steel Corporation coking plant in Orgreave, Yorkshire. (comms@history.ox.ac.ukor +44 (0)1865 615000), Personal Circumstances and Contextualisation, Exercise Two - Indigenous Javanese Religion of the Republic of Indonesia, Modern British History 1850 to the present, Modern European History 1850 to the present, MSt in Global and Imperial History since 1400, MSc/MPhil in History of Science, Medicine and Technology, MSt/MPhil in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, History Skills Workshops (info for teachers), Ayahs, memsahibs and their children: empire migrants, Boston King and the Black Loyalists of the American Revolution. 16,779 per year . Thatcher appointed the ruthless Ian McGregor to the head of the National Coal Board in 1983. Since Scargill had been so public about his enthusiasm for confrontation, ministers had been building up coal stocks for years. Following the continuation of coal production after the strikes, MacGregor closed 20 pits. In South Yorkshire, the focus is on Askern, a mining village to the north of Doncaster, where the pit functioned until 1991. Under government control, wages, hours and safety improved, and at the end of the war miners wanted to retain the status quo. Then, in March 1984, the Coal Board announced plans for a new wave of pit closures. 4 Picture of 1984 Miners Strike (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miners_strike_rally_London_1984.jpg) by Nick (https://www.flickr.com/people/34517490@N00) licensed by CC BY 2.0 ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en), Fig. The introduction of the safety lamp was not enough to completely prevent explosions and accidents within the mines. https://www.youtube.com/embed/8n8BeD6fkwc?controls=0. Many industries took part alongside the miners. They were known as hurries and thrusters. Another individual wrote to the same paper, taking the side of the colliery owner. This act ultimately failed as the TUC refused to cooperate with the measures and increased their opposition. Onllwyn stood at the intersection between Welsh Wales, farming, rural and Welsh-speaking and American Wales, industrial, urbanised and English-speaking. There was less support across the Midlands, and Nottinghamshire, in particular, was targeted by flying picketing in the hopes of preventing local miners from going in to work. This led to power cuts, the introduction of a three-day working week and the downfall of the Conservative government of Edward Heath. What other forms of energy came available in the 1960s besides coal? Although the strike was over, the scars never went away. 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. However, there was nothing good about communities being smashed to bits while a government that appeared more interested in the increasing economic success of the south east of England did very little to help them.