Throughout the 20th century, unions went toe-to-toe with the British government demanding better working conditions and higher pay for skilled workers throughout the country. She immediately jumped in the car to stop her husband David crossing the picket line, fearing for his life. Official striking began when these negotiations failed. As a result, the UK government has been searching for feasible replacements for several years in preparation for this inevitability. A flying picket was the organised transportation of strikers to strategic workplaces, such as coal processing plants. Here are some facts about Margaret Thatcher, the first female British Prime Minister. 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. Deep mining for coal was already on its death bed by 1984 as cheaper exports from abroad combined with a reluctance on the part of government to continue with subsidies, a changing energy culture and a rising environmental movement all conspired against the industry. The General Strike 1926. When was the British coal industry nationalised with the introduction of the National Coal Board (NCB)? So, was it a good thing that the miners lost? 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 1984-85. Letters. and demonstrated his inability to recognise the country's troubles. It is true that coal production decreased and time lost to strikes increased throughout the war. Read on as []. Just 7,285 had voted to strike. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Coca-Cola's current financial-year sales and earnings suggests growth of 10.8% and 6.9%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers. 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. 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 . It also became cheaper to import coal from countries such as Poland and Australia rather than mining it in Britain. McGregors approach to the mining industry was the same as it had been towards steel close unprofitable pits and drastically reduce the workforce. A minority government is formed after unsuccessful coalitions - the party with the most seats controls the government but has difficulty passing legislation. Identify your study strength and weaknesses. With coal stocks high, the miners divided and public opinion firmly against the strike, he was always facing an uphill struggle. Read on as the team here at Pearson Fuels go over a few interesting facts about the strike that grabbed headlines during the 80s. When did Margaret Thatcher become the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain? The federal government's response to the unrest marked the first time that an injunction was used to break a strike. This period came to be known as the "Winter of Discontent", spanning the winter months between 1978 and 1979. By 1992, Grimethorpe Colliery had ceased operating and the miners had all been made redundant. After all, many first-time firewood users tend to make mistakes that could have been easily avoided with a little bit of research. The first selective strike in the history of the UMWA occurred in 1978 after a 110-day long coal strike. Many of the mining communities that were once reliant on the collieries for their livelihoods were affected by the closure of the mines, and have since adapted to a new way of living. How Thatcher broke the miners' strike but at what cost? When was the UK miners' strike? There are several factors [], Kiln dried logs are a very popular solid fuel. The strike caused Britain's energy supplies to suffer greatly, and Heath had to schedule national blackouts. In this case, plant matter sunk to the very bottom of swamplands where is was deprived of oxygen and subjected to intense heat and pressure. Britains economy received the kick start that it needed, and by the early 90s, coal mining across the UK had been privatised. Heath's campaign was famous for the phrase 'Who governs Britain: the government or the miners?'. Coal Miners facts. Where once there had been a steady source of employment for generations of men, there was now nothing. Let's find out about these strikes and the changing power dynamic between trade unions and the government. The man observes that he begins to feel uncomfortable when the cost of a dinner for two approaches a miners take-home pay.Eddie DougallWalsham-le-Willows, Suffolk, Charles Foster seems to think that Arthur Scargill called out the miners in 1984. Arthur or Joe?Davie LaingEdinburgh, Join the debate email guardian.letters@theguardian.com, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. 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 . What were flying pickets in the miners' strike? Sign up to our newsletter. However, miners soon faced difficulties: By the end of the 1960s, an unofficial miners' strike in 1969 protested against the unfair working hours of older miners and wage decreases. 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! In Yorkshire, the mere mention of Baroness Thatcher's name is often likely to lead quickly to talk of the 1984-5 miners' strike. 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. The history of strikes in the UK. Mines were the beating hearts of communities stretching from Scotland to Kent. The aim was to shut down both coal production and its transportation to all but vital services such as hospitals and nursing homes. 1 The 1926 General Strike was coordinated by the Trade Union Congress to protest against miners' wages. Fifty years before gold was discovered at Sutter's mill, the . Therefore, in 1984, miners were not being paid, and their families were the only ones suffering from the strikes. For decades, Conservative and Labour governments alike had been closing pits and shedding jobs. Here, historian Dominic Sandbrook revisits the longest and most acrimonious industrial dispute in Britains modern history: the miners strike of 198485. Neither he, nor anybody else called out the miners.David RainbirdWallasey, Merseyside, Charles Foster is undoubtedly right indescribing Arthur Scargill as a fool for all the reasons he lists. Scargill used this as an excuse to call for a nationwide strike. "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.". 12th November 1973: The NUM stopped overtime and halved Britain's coal production. It was unsuccessful due to Margaret Thatcher's planning, such as stockpiling, law changes and strategic use of the police force. 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. 2 This poster advertised the mining industry to Britons during the Second World War. What coal is made of Coal is made up of several elements. At the end of 1981, the miners elected a new leader in the hard-left Yorkshireman Arthur Scargill, who made no secret of his eagerness for a confrontation with the government. In order to set the record straight about this residue and its lack of [], As concern over global warming continues to grow each year, it almost certainly came as a surprise when President Trump decided to pull the U.S out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2019. The conflicts witnessed between police and picketers were very different from the 1972 and 1974 strikes. The miners' strike started on 6th March 1984 and ended almost a year later on 3rd March 1985. 10 facts about the miners' strikeperiodic 3m system meetings with department heads 10 facts about the miners' strike. Best study tips and tricks for your exams. There was little point in delaying the inevitable. 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. 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. Many industries were involved and the strike had wide-reaching effects on people and . The General Strike, the only one to take place in Britain, was called on 3rd May 1926 and lasted nine days; an historic walkout by British workers representing the dissatisfaction of millions and ushering in the need for change across the country. On 2 May, the Times reported 7000-8000 workers at one strike meeting. Here are ten facts about the UK miners' strike and how it changed the history of industrial action in the country. Although the miners strike was considered unsuccessful in terms of its overall aim, it showed the government that the working class wasnt prepared to suffer under austerity. This led to violent clashes between the police and pickets, most notoriously at the Battle of Orgreave, where 5,000 miners faced a similar force of police officers. "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. Scargill had organised the flying pickets witnessed in the 1974 UK Miners' Strike when he was president of the Yorkshire NUM. What other forms of energy came available in the 1960s besides coal? The 1984 miners strike, perhaps the most infamous of them all, not only ended in disaster for the miners but spelt the end of the power that the unions had held over the government since the conclusion of World War Two. Neither he, nor anybody else called out the miners, writes David Rainbird. On the 5th of March 1985, a crowd gathered in a South Yorkshire pit village to watch a sight none of them had seen in a year. 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. During the strike coal production dropped by more than half but the government had stockpiled in preparation and, with supplies coming from the still-working pits in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, power stations were able to stay open. Coal was a profit-losing business in a country increasingly turning towards a services-led economy. Whatever people thought of the issues at stake, millions were appalled by the scenes of open fighting between pickets and police, which became emblematic of the conflicted, confrontational 1980s. 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. Fig. 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. From an economic and ecological point of view, the answer is yes. But galloping over the horizon would be the woman who would prove to be their nemesis Margaret Thatcher. The government announced on 6 March 1984 that 20 collieries would close . What fuel do I want to burn? The lessons of the miners' strike - and its defeat - are of great significance to the future of the workers' movement, and deserve thorough study. Life for the residents of Grimethorpe got worse following the closure. It was a defining event in the history of industrial relations in the UK.. preferred parking dodger stadium. She studied chemistry at university and then she became a barrister, passing the bar exam in 1953. In 1921 private police in the US dropped bombs and mustard gas on a coal miners' camp when they went on strike for better working conditions 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. The strike was officially called to a halt on March the 3rd 1985. To be more specific they struck: 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. 4 The 1984 Miners' Strike divided the nation but demonstrated Thatcher's new approach to how the government would deal with Trade Unions. Test your knowledge with gamified quizzes. Jan 24, 2013. The 1956 Clean Air Act restricted coal burning in fireplaces in favour of cleaner fuels, leading to a decline in demand. He did so by bending the rules of the NUMs constitution to ensure that McGahey would be over-age to succeed him. In the 1970s, the police had treated the miners with kid gloves. ]]> 00:00, 12 MAR 2009. All Rights Reserved. When she handed them back washed and cleaned, she says some of the wives of those who were still working threw them in the bin. Mrs Woodhead and her family gave up "luxuries" like television and heating because they couldn't afford them, and relied on donations from solidarity movements in the USSR and Poland for Christmas presents for their children that year. McGregor's approach to the mining industry was the same as it had been towards steel - close unprofitable pits and drastically reduce the workforce. Whether its to heat your home, give it more cosy atmosphere or simply because of the aesthetics, weve put together some benefits that can be obtained from burning firewood. This time around the gloves would be off. Why did the miners go on strike? 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 Trades Union Congress (TUC) called the strike to prevent wage reduction and worsening conditions for coal miners. Those who went on strike earned no money and were ineligible for benefits as their industrial action was deemed illegal; they had to rely on scrimping, savings and handouts. 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. Have all your study materials in one place. She gets help from the wives of men who went on strike from the beginning of the dispute and says that although she does not hold it against them, they do not talk about it. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of theTerms and Conditions. Over 2000 strikes took place across the country, demanding pay increases - the government's reputation was severely damaged. Thatcher's government reduced the power of the Trade Unions and the pressure they could exert on the government, ending the strike in 1985. 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