So right from the start, the dispute was marked by intense bitterness and violent confrontations between striking and working miners. Some felt that the actions of striking miners against those who chose to continue to work were unreasonable. After all, affordability and efficiency can be incredibly convincing! Mrs Howells says people who she had known for years then started ignoring her in the street, while some were shopping 12 miles from home to avoid meeting someone from the "wrong side" in the supermarket aisles. It was suppressed by the government and resulted in the, The NUM and Thatcher negotiated her plans to cut subsidies to coal mining. She became a Member of Parliament for Finchley in 1959, became leader of the . and demonstrated his inability to recognise the country's troubles. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) called the strike to prevent wage reduction and worsening conditions for coal miners. This type of fuel is very popular for open fires, or places where there is a fuel ban on unseasoned wood and coal etc. How Thatcher broke the miners' strike but at what cost? AETNUK. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. As mentioned, the film is set during the miners' strike of the 1980s, a period of time that continues to have a huge effect on mining communities across Northern England and Wales. preferred parking dodger stadium. It didn't seem like the strike would end any time soon. 2023 BBC. 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. The miners' strike of 1984-85 was the longest and most acrimonious industrial dispute in Britain's modern history. James was building a sawmill for John Sutter when he found . In fact, the strike is considered the longest industrial dispute regarding mining closures to this day and has paved the way for a more efficient mining industry. This led to power cuts, the introduction of a three-day working week and the downfall of the Conservative government of Edward Heath. But the public vote went against him resulting in victory for the Labour Party. 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. Around 5,000 picketers matched 5,000 police officers at a British Steel Corporation coking plant in Orgreave, Yorkshire. While the miners of Kent, Scotland, the North East, Yorkshire and South Wales downed tools and took to the picket lines, their counterparts in the Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, South Derbyshire and North Wales coalfields carried on working. Its 100% free. On 3 March 1985, the NUM executive, running low on funds and with striking families struggling to feed, heat and clothe themselves, narrowly voted to end the industrial action, without concessions from the government. People made up their minds in the first month of the strike and stuck to it.". This can be resolved by forming a coalition or minority government. Posted on . From an economic and ecological point of view, the answer is yes. [], When you are considering buying a home stove there are plenty of things you need to consider: What style do I go for? 1500 pounds of aluminum. October 1973: The global oil crisis began - Arab oil-producing countries placed an oil embargo (legal ban on trade) on the United States. You can unsubscribe at any time. 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. This turnaround in steels fortunes made it possible for Thatcher to privatise the industry something she also had in mind for coal. December 1973: Due to a severe lack of fuel, Edward Heath announced that most commercial and industrial establishments could only use electricity three days a week. The Pullman Strike took place in 1894, during the months of May to July, when . Thanks, in part, to the governments stockpiling of coal before the strikes, disruption to the wider public was kept to a minimum. It also became cheaper to import coal from countries such as Poland and Australia rather than mining it in Britain. 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. Their pit would last a mere seven years. The country's last deep coal mine, Kellingley Colliery in North Yorkshire, shut in 2015. 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. Best study tips and tricks for your exams. Furthermore, police officers were drafted in from outside the striking counties, so law enforcement was unsympathetic to the strikers. Now the IPCC is to probe claims of assault . Thatcher's government reduced the power of the Trade Unions and the pressure they could exert on the government, ending the strike in 1985. This figure was said to be closer to 70 according to Scargill, however, the government denied this claim many times. DKos PA. DKosLabor. When did Margaret Thatcher become the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain? She studied chemistry at university and then she became a barrister, passing the bar exam in 1953. Following the continuation of coal production after the strikes, MacGregor closed 20 pits. Heath introduced the Three-Day Working Week at the start of 1974 to combat the 1973 Oil Crisis, and the second UK Miners' strike took place on 24. This also detrimentally affected Britain - its second most used fuel was oil. Read on as the team here at Pearson Fuels go over a few interesting facts about the strike that grabbed headlines during the 80s. By the early 1980s the collieries were losing money. Like Scargill, Mrs Thatcher struck a remarkably aggressive, uncompromising tone right from the start. Tonypandy riots. This entailed privatising state-own industries, thus reducing the subsidies provided by the government. One aspect that people sometimes fail to take into consideration is checking whether their home falls in [], If you have a wood burning stove then you are going to need a good supply of firewood to keep warm throughout the colder months. The California Gold Rush took place between 1848 and 1855. The miner went on strike in 1984 in an attempt to prevent colliery closures. Overtime, they will cool [], Here at Pearson Fuels, we strive to provide our customers with the very best fuel for their burning requirements and that is why we work closely with our suppliers in order to ensure that we source the most high-quality coal and firewood. There, intimidating flying pickets closed the coke depot in pursuit of a 43% rise for miners, setting in train the eventual fall of Edward Heaths government, writes Charles Foster (Letters, 9May). Many other industries joined in solidarity with the miners. Police reports mention that the miners began the conflict by throwing stones and other projectiles at the police, but miners have since refuted this. Dominic Sandbrook is a historian and television presenter best-known for his books about Britain since the 1950s. 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 1972 strike was a result of Edward Heath refusing to allow the 43% wage increase the NUM was demanding. As the months went by, life for the miners and their families got progressively harder. 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. NUM President Arthur Scargill called a nationwide strike but controversially did not hold a national ballot, so not all miners supported the strike. Only a quarter of the county's miners joined the national strike, according to the National Coal Mining Museum. Updated 04:49, 29 MAR 2013. This article argues that due to the divisions within the miners' union about the way the strike was started, the Thatcher government was able to exploit . He hoped the public would give the Conservatives a more significant majority and give him more influence in negotiations. The miners had gone on strike twice in the previous decade. Theirony is that had he been president there would have been no strike. Investing in a quality stove is important to provide an efficient fire that is going to help save you money in the long run, but if you decide to [], If you want a coal-burning fireplace in your UK home you will need to source smokeless coal as your choice of fuel. So who was the greater fool? Striking miners lined the streets leading to pits in an attempt to stop their colleagues from going to work and, as tensions rose, a 24-year-old picket from Wakefield, David Jones, died hours after being hit by a brick in the Nottinghamshire town of Ollerton. However here are some other facts about coal and its development and properties that you might not have known. Identify your study strength and weaknesses. MacGregor said that these mines weren't making any money. In 1971, Joe Gormley, president of the NUM, demanded a 43% wage increase for coal miners to counter the Conservative government's offer of a 7-8% increase. Where once there had been a steady source of employment for generations of men, there was now nothing. Scargill was unsuccessful as the stockpiled coal meant that MacGregor did not have to compromise. It is true that coal production decreased and time lost to strikes increased throughout the war. Eventually, this worked and many defeated strikers re-entered the mines after a new agreement with the management was formed. The miners strike of 1984-85 was the longest and most acrimonious industrial dispute in Britains modern history. The strikers would travel around the country to picket workplaces other than their own, thus increasing the impact of the strike. 1st March 1974: The general election resulted in a hung parliament. In traditionally non-militant Nottinghamshire, many miners resented being strong-armed, as they saw it, into a strike without a ballot. The three-day working week came into force on 1st January 1974, affecting many businesses. In Nottinghamshire, a ballot was held and miners voted to carry on working. Flying pickets were made illegal in the 1970s by the Conservatives. The miners had lost the strike called on March 6th 1984. An additional law passed by the Conservative government as part of their strategy for handling a strike was the 1980 Employment . 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. This significantly increased the number of miners who joined the protests and contributed to the national impact of the strike. Scargill had a choice: lead them, or get out. Mrs Woodhead, now 68, remembers how during the strike, she borrowed plastic cups from a local school for the strikers' children to use. Neither he, nor anybody else called out the miners, writes David Rainbird. Twice in recent years, in 1972 and 1974, the miners had struck for higher pay, and both times they had won. This would bring the country to a halt and make it very hard for the Government to resist giving in to their demands. The 1980 Social Security Act had reduced the benefits that striking miners' families received. Their tenure in the area was marked by peaceful protection of non-union workers and chaperoning parades of picketers. Listen: Dominic Sandbrook explores the pivotal early years of Margaret Thatchers premiership in Britain, 197982. 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. Just 7,285 had voted to strike. Since Scargill had been so public about his enthusiasm for confrontation, ministers had been building up coal stocks for years. And as summer approached, a strike started among West End tailors for better piece rates. 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). ]]> Facilities once maintained by the NCB fell into a state of disrepair and several local businesses closed their doors. This is because it is now illegal to burn any other type of coal in the UK under the clean air act, brought in to help alleviate the problem with smog and pollution [], Theres nothing more comforting than having a roaring fire in your home stove when the weather is cold outside, or having your chiminea or fire pit crackling away on a warm evening. 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. 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. Why is Anthracite an Eco-Friendly Domestic Fuel. The final mine, Kellingley in North Yorkshire, closed for good in 2015. Under immense pressure, the government compromised with the NUM, offering a wage increase of around 30%. In fact, the strike is considered the longest industrial dispute regarding mining closures to this day and has paved the way for a more efficient mining industry. 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. 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