Get FREE access to HistoryExtra.com. Sign up to highlight and take notes. if each line had e.g. Theirony is that had he been president there would have been no strike. Like Scargill, Mrs Thatcher struck a remarkably aggressive, uncompromising tone right from the start. The general strike of 1926 was mainly for the miners; they had low pay and worked long hours. The miners' strike was an attempt by the miners and unions to prevent the closure of 20 collieries across the UK. This led to power cuts, the introduction of a three-day working week and the downfall of the Conservative government of Edward Heath. When was the UK miners' strike? After all, coal mining plays a big role in the American economy and there are over 800 active mines that are [], The process of coalification takes around 350 million years to complete, however the mining of coal at different points of its development has led to the categorisation of at least four different types of coal known as peat, lignite, bituminous and anthracite. Some people can end up taking ten days shifts in a row and work for ten hours. Clashes between the police and strikers resulted in injuries and deaths and demonstrated a legalising of state violence against protesters, hailing in a new era of state control. The strike began on 9 January 1972 and ended on 28 February 1972, when the miners returned to work. SAVE 50% when you subscribe today 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. Mrs Woodhead, who lives in the village of Blidworth, says some people still cross the road when they see her coming. 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 type of fuel is very popular for open fires, or places where there is a fuel ban on unseasoned wood and coal etc. The local colliery's closure (including the mine and all additional buildings or offices) meant almost certain death for the mining communities built up around them. Who succeeded Edward Heath as Prime Minister after the 1974 general election? Stockport Over 100,000 coal miners had been on strike since the spring, and production was at a standstill. The miners struck for four weeks, and the East End docks were brought to a halt for two months. The police have been accused of doctoring their accounts of the conflict and using unjust force on the protesters. How Thatcher broke the miners' strike but at what cost? The 1956 Clean Air Act restricted coal burning in fireplaces in favour of cleaner fuels, leading to a decline in demand. [], When it gets colder theres nothing better than lighting a cosy fire to curl up in front of but remember to always follow the fire safety guidelines. Eventually, this worked and many defeated strikers re-entered the mines after a new agreement with the management was formed. The UK deep mining industry has now completely disappeared. Free and expert-verified textbook solutions. The NUM members put on a brave face, many marching back . 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 miners and their families had endured months of hardship. 750 pounds of zinc. That honor actually belongs to North Carolina. The police launched mounted truncheon charges against the miners, leading to 51 pickets and 72 police being injured. Chess gets a risqu makeover. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) After a gigantic 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile, scientists quickly deduced a pair of usual facts: 1) the town of Concepcin had been moved 10 feet to the west, and 2) the Earth's rotation had undergone a dramatic change. 1 The 1926 General Strike was coordinated by the Trade Union Congress to protest against miners' wages. The lessons of the miners' strike - and its defeat - are of great significance to the future of the workers' movement, and deserve thorough study. The proximate cause of the 1984-85 miners' strike, the longest mass strike in British history, was a round of colliery closures announced by the National Coal Board (NCB, now British Coal) in March 1984 as part of the restructuring of the British coal mining industry. 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. Margaret Thatcher was born on 13th October 1925 in Grantham, Lincolnshire (England). Mrs Woodhead, now 68, remembers how during the strike, she borrowed plastic cups from a local school for the strikers' children to use. Since 1979, Nigel Lawson, the Secretary of State for Energy, stockpiled up to 6 months' worth of coal in case of further strikes. Very quickly, therefore, the strike became a trial of strength between two exceptionally abrasive public figures. Compared to todays standards of production, the UKs coal production throughout the 1700s was considerably low with an annual coal output of under [], Coal is a fossil fuel which means that it was formed from the geological remains of living organisms. Fig. 0 items. Will you pass the quiz? 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. The biggest rail strike in 30 years is causing severe disruption to passengers this week, with the walkout of at least 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union. This led to legal action taken by out-of-work non-striking miners against Scargill's illegal strike. 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. For decades, Conservative and Labour governments alike had been closing pits and shedding jobs. The aim was to shut down both coal production and its transportation to all but vital services such as hospitals and nursing homes. After the strike ended, Mrs Woodhead joined the Women Against Pit Closures campaign and got involved with politics. 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. 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. Child gold miners are often found in the Sahel region of Africa (mainly in Burkina Faso and Niger). The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was led by Joe Gormley, who demanded a 43% wage increase for miners in 1971. What wasnt taken into account, however, was the human element. It was the first time since 1926 that British miners had been on official strike, but there had been a . To be more specific they struck: Here, historian Dominic Sandbrook revisits the longest and most acrimonious industrial dispute in Britains modern history: the miners strike of 198485. One downside to the luxury is having to clear up the ashes once the fire has burnt down. When negotiations failed, Gormley called for the 1972 UK Miners' Strike. 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. He did so by bending the rules of the NUMs constitution to ensure that McGahey would be over-age to succeed him. Here at Pearson Fuels, we stock a variety of fuels that are suitable for a wood burner and believe that they are [], It is important to burn firewood that has a moisture content below 20% as this ensures that the logs will burn evenly and efficiently. Heath was only prepared to offer 7-8%. A minority government is formed after unsuccessful coalitions - the party with the most seats controls the government but has difficulty passing legislation. From removing [], Now were coming out of winter and into much warmer months, you may be wondering what to do with your home stove now that it isnt getting much use. From the start, Scargill was confident of victory. 8th February 1974: Edward Heath called a snap election in response to continued failed negotiations with the NUM. 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. Life for the residents of Grimethorpe got worse following the closure. Nearly one million coal miners went on strike in Great Britain. What other forms of energy came available in the 1960s besides coal? Their tenure in the area was marked by peaceful protection of non-union workers and chaperoning parades of picketers. js photo studios. Let's look at a brief history of the coal mining community throughout Modern British history. 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. The miners' strike of 1984-85 was a brutal clash between the miners' union, which was defending jobs, and the Thatcher government, committed to destroying 'militant' trade unionism. In 1971, Heath introduced the Industrial Relations Act - what did this entail? From the onset of the Industrial Revolution, working men and women have been withholding their labour as a means of bargaining for better pay and conditions. In the first half of the 20th century the UK had more than 1,000 collieries - but by . In 1980, Secretary of State of Industry Sir Keith Joseph appointed a Scottish-American economist Ian MacGregor as head of the nationalised steel industry, British Steel. By 2017, only about 1,000 people were working in an industry which, at its height, employed more than a million people, according to government statistics. Twice in recent years, in 1972 and 1974, the miners had struck for higher pay, and both times they had won. 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. Here at Pearson Fuels, we are proud to offer high-quality house coals for all your indoor needs! Safety In England there are an average of 7,700 chimney fires [], Creating a cosy fire in the winter to warm up the room and to help you unwind and relax is one of the best feelings. In 1978, a strike led by the private trade union of Ford manufacturers achieved a 17% wage increase. After subsequent government cuts, the mining community began to protest their treatment throughout the 1970s. After 1945, Britain entered a period of economic hardship. The defeated miners returned to work and the pit closures would go ahead. Arthur Scargill, president of the National Union of Mineworkers from 1982 to 2002. I cant comment on the veracity or otherwise of the 43% rise for miners, but at the time a miners take-home pay was about 20 a week, for doing what was considered the most dangerous job in Britain, an extra 8 (less tax) didnt seem outrageous to me. AETNUK. This act ultimately failed as the TUC refused to cooperate with the measures and increased their opposition. Let's find out about these strikes and the changing power dynamic between trade unions and the government. This made coal mining one of the highest-paid working-class jobs in the country. Stop procrastinating with our study reminders. 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. The 1974 strike was an even more significant blow to the government - let's look at a brief outline of events. The General Strike 1926. The strike caused Britain's energy supplies to suffer greatly, and Heath had to schedule national blackouts. For me, the general sentiment at the time was crystallised in Marcs cartoon in the Times, which showed a couple seated at a table in a Hampstead restaurant. Their loved ones relied on them, and mining was the only vocation that they had ever known. 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. Both hardwood and softwood have their own burning benefits, however there are also different varieties within each individual category. It is true that coal production decreased and time lost to strikes increased throughout the war. With this said, documents were released in 2014 that confirmed that Ian MacGregor, the head of the National Coal Board, did plan to close 75 pits over a three-year period during the 1980s. The California Gold Rush took place between 1848 and 1855. Where once there had been a steady source of employment for generations of men, there was now nothing. Read on as []. The miners' strike of 1984-5 was a major piece of industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It created legally binding agreements over wages and supply. Grimethorpes story was repeated up and down the land. It was unsuccessful due to Margaret Thatcher's planning, such as stockpiling, law changes and strategic use of the police force. One of the criticisms of the government highlighted how they had the foresight to secure a coal reserve to outlast the strikes but hadnt considered options that could help support the communities where the mines were being closed. There are so many different things that go into a fire, for example there are several types of firewood and fuels for them, so you just need to figure out [], As the autumn and winter months draw near, it is likely that homeowners will probably start bringing out the firewood to get their fires going. Here are ten facts about the UK miners' strike and how it changed the history of industrial action in the country. In traditionally non-militant Nottinghamshire, many miners resented being strong-armed, as they saw it, into a strike without a ballot. The Miners Strike of 1910-11 was an attempt by miners and their families to improve wages and living conditions in severely deprived parts of South Wales, where wages had been kept deliberately low for many years by a cartel of mine owners. The strikes ended on 5th March 1985. The miners' strike started on 6th March 1984 and ended almost a year later on 3rd March 1985. What became known as the Tonypandy riots [1] of 1910 and 1911 (sometimes collectively . The miners had gone on strike twice in the previous decade. Although, the workers have some time to sleep after work is over. People made up their minds in the first month of the strike and stuck to it.". In other areas it was much better supported - for example in south Wales, 99.6% of the 21,500 workers joined the action and, a year on, 93% were still not working. "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. [], When you are considering buying a home stove there are plenty of things you need to consider: What style do I go for? After all, if these decisions went ahead then at least 20,000 people would find themselves out of a job. Its 100% free. One of Thatcher's key aims was to limit the role of government so that Britons changed from "dependent" to "self-reliant". The history of strikes in the UK. Fact-checking myths of the miners' strike.