Inequalities warning over miners’ pardons

Abill that will pardon miners convicted of offences during the strike in the 1980s should be extended to cover those involved in “spontaneous demonstrations” – not just those arrested on the picket line, MSPS have been told.

The Scottish Government has introduced legislation at Holyrood that would, if passed, grant an automatic pardon to some of those arrested during the long- running industrial dispute.

But as it is proposed, this would only apply to offences committed while a miner was taking part in a picket line, demonstration or similar gathering – or while travelling to or from it.

However, MSPS on the equalities, human rights and civil justice committee heard from former miners how some men were arrested following “spontaneous demonstrations” – which could be sparked by striking miners finding out someone had gone back to work.

Professor Jim Phillips, an expert in economic and social history from Glasgow University, said that meant the legislation risked creating a “hierarchy of justice” between those who were deemed “deserving of justice” and those who were “undeserving”.

He told the committee: “Many of these arrests took place in communities, that is one area of the bill I do have a slight reservation about.

“The bill makes provision for strikers who have convictions that arose from the events on picket lines, on strike-related demonstrations and other related gatherings, but it doesn’t for miners who were convicted after incidents in communities.

“I think that is important deficiency.”

He spoke about the “tensions and conflicts” that developed in mining communities, with strikebreakers having to live alongside men who were still involved in the dispute.

Prof Phillips said: “It wasn’t normal for people to gather outside their neighbours’ houses, it wasn’t normal to break windows, it wasn’t normal to attack people’s cars, it wasn’t normal to have fights in the street outside chip shops.

“These were the things that happened during the highly abnormal situation. an

“It seems to me that one of the slight dangers here with the bill is we are creating a hierarchy of justice.”

As a result, he said, the Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) bill could divide those classed as being “deserving of justice, who include miners who were arrested on picket lines, and the undeserving of justice, young lads who at the time got into fights with strike breakers in the street”.

Nicky Wilson, Scottish president of the National Union of Mineworkers, recalled how men were arrested after taking part in “spontaneous demonstrations”.

Mr Wilson, part of the strike which lasted from March 1984 to March 1985, told how the-then National Coal Board offered “bribes” to striking miners to persuade them to return to work. He said: “There was a guy in Cumbernauld who went back to his work and they got him a car.

“The coal board actually supplied the car, allegedly bought him the car, to get to this work.

“One day a person could be on strike and the next day the board could persuade him, because throughout the strikes there was various bribes offered about a bonus at Christmas time, all the holiday pay, all the rest of it.

“When there were spontaneous demonstrations that is what they were, it was because people found out the guy who was on strike was no longer on strike.

“Therefore, a group had a spontaneous reaction to that.”