Miners' Strike

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Coal Miners' strikes between 1970-90 epitomised the struggle that the working class miners had with the government regarding their pay and the country's need for coal. Let's find out about these strikes and the changing power dynamic between trade unions and the government.

Coal miners' strikes - keywords

Term	Definition
Trade union	An association of workers in a trade or profession which works to protect, and advance, their rights and interests
National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)	An industrial union of all Britain's coalminers, created in 1945, that represented the miners during the strikes
National Coal Board (NCB)	The government department formed in 1946 that ran Britain's coal industry after it was nationalised
Nationalisation	Moving aspects of the economy from private to government control
Privatisation	Selling nationalised industries to private buyers and investors
Strike	A protest organised by employees in which they refuse to work until their demands are met or negotiated
Picket line	A line of protesters outside a workplace during a strike

History of coal mining in Britain

Let's look at a brief history of the coal mining community throughout Modern British history.

Date	Event
1868	The Trades Union Congress (TUC) was established, representing and promoting trade unions in Britain.
1889	Miner's Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) was founded, combining many coal mining trade unions into one body.
1913	British coal output peaked at 292 million tonnes.
1920	Coal mining employment peaked at 1.2 million people.
1926	The TUC called a general strike to protest decreasing wages for coal miners and poor work conditions. Many industries took part alongside the miners. It was suppressed by the government and resulted in the 1927 Trade Disputes Act, which forbade general and sympathetic strikes.
1945	The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) succeeded the MFGB.
1946	The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act was passed, establishing the National Coal Board (NCB) the same year to nationalise Britain's coal mining industry. Government spending cuts after WWII meant that miners' wages began decreasing significantly.
1969	Coal miners organised an unofficial strike, protesting against working hours. Wages also become part of the issue.
9^th January 1972	The NUM staged the 1972 UK Miners' Strike.
1973	A global oil crisis followed Arab countries stopping oil exports to supporters of Israel. The NUM voted to ban overtime, halving the UK's coal production. The 3-day working week was announced amidst the limited energy supplies, commencing on 1^st January 1974.
24^th January 1974	The NUM staged the 1974 UK Miners' Strike.
1978-9	The Winter of Discontent - around 2,000 strikes occurred protesting Callaghan's governmental measures to reduce inflation.
1979	Margaret Thatcher won the general election. She appointed Ian McGregor as head of the NCB to handle the future of the British coal mining industry.
1981	The NUM and Thatcher negotiated her plans to cut subsidies to coal mining. She conceded a reduction rather than a full cut.
1984	Arthur Scargill, president of the NUM, called for another strike but failed to keep pits open as the country had stockpiled coal.
1995	The coal industry was officially privatised.

References

Fig. 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. 5 West Midlands Police in 1984 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Day_147_-_West_Midlands_Police_-_Miner%27s_strikes_-_1984_(14495625275).jpg) by West Midlands Police (https://www.flickr.com/people/61718807@N07) licensed by CC BY SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en)

Frequently Asked Questions about Miners' Strike

The three most famous strikes in Modern British history are the 1972, 1974 and 1984 Miners' Strikes. The 1972 strike was a result of Edward Heath refusing to allow the 43% wage increase the NUM was demanding. the 1974 strike was a result of a similar dispute over wage increases and coordinated with the 1973 Oil Crisis. the 1984 strike protested Thatcher's plans to close mines and de-nationalise the coal mining industry. The 1970s strikes were relatively successful for the miners, but the 1984 strike was a failure, and Thatcher won out over the protesting miners.

The longest strike was the 1984 UK Miners' strike, which lasted from 6^th March 1984 - 5^th March 1985. It was unsuccessful due to Margaret Thatcher's planning, such as stockpiling, law changes and strategic use of the police force.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was led by Joe Gormley, who demanded a 43% wage increase for miners in 1971. Upon this not being granted, Gormley initiated the 1972 UK Miners' Strike.

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. The decrease in miners' wages led to Joe Gormley calling for a 43% increase. Heath was only prepared to offer 7-8%. When negotiations failed, Gormley called for the 1972 UK Miners' Strike.

A flying picket was the organised transportation of strikers to strategic workplaces, such as coal processing plants. The strikers would travel around the country to picket workplaces other than their own, thus increasing the impact of the strike. Flying pickets were made illegal in the 1970s by the Conservatives.

Final Miners' Strike Quiz

Question

When did the Trade Union Congress call the General Strike?

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Answer

1926

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Question

When was the British coal industry nationalised with the introduction of the National Coal Board (NCB)?

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Answer

1946

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Question

What other forms of energy came available in the 1960s besides coal?

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Answer

Oil

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Who was in power for the 1972 UK Miners' Strike?

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Answer

Edward Heath (Conservatives)

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Question

What percent pay rise did Joe Gormley, president of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), demand in 1971?

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Answer

34%

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Question

What is a "flying picket"?

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Answer

When groups of strikers travel to picket different workplaces

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Question

What separate event occurred in 1973 that prompted the 1974 Miners' Strike?

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Answer

The Arab Oil Crisis

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Question

When was the 'Three-Day working week' introduced by Edward Heath?

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Answer

1^st January 1974

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Question

Who succeeded Edward Heath as Prime Minister after the 1974 general election?

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Answer

Harold Wilson

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Question

Roughly how many strikes occurred during the Winter of Discontent?

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Answer

2,000

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How was James Callaghan ousted as Prime Minister in 1979?

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Answer

Vote of no confidence

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When did Margaret Thatcher become the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain?

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Answer

1979

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Question

What did Nigel Lawson, Secretary of State for Energy, suggest that aided the government's response to the 1984 Miners' Strike

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Answer

Stockpiling coal

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Question

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?

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Answer

20,000

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Question

What was one of the defining violent events of the 1984 Miners' Strike?

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Answer

The Battle of Orgreave

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Miners' Strike

Miners' Strike

Coal miners' strikes - keywords

History of coal mining in Britain

References

Frequently Asked Questions about Miners' Strike

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Why did the miners strike in 1972?

What were flying pickets in the miners' strike?

Final Miners' Strike Quiz

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