The strike that changed Britain
Coal miners’ protest of 1984 lasted for a year.
Forty years ago – on 5 March 1984 – a group of coal miners in South Yorkshire, England, went on strike. They stopped working in protest at the news that the mine where they worked would be closed. It was the start of huge protests that spread across the industry.
King coal
In the mid-20th century, Britain could not function without coal (a type of rock fossil fuel made up of ancient plants). It was dug out of the ground by miners and sent to factories to be burned to create electricity. People also burned it in their fireplaces at home for heating. Burning coal made the steam that powered trains and it was also needed for the production of steel. Steel is a strong metal used in all sorts of things, including cars, fridges and ships.
The build-up to the strike
By the 1970s, coal faced a very uncertain future. Britain was turning instead to fuels that did not cause so much smoke and pollution when it was burnt, such as diesel (from oil). Even so, a lot of Britain’s electricity still came from burning coal. In 1972 and 1974, strikes were organised by a trade union (a group of organised workers who call for better conditions and pay) called the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). These strikes led to power cuts as the Government tried to make the country use less electricity while the miners stayed off work.
The 1984/85 strike
On 5 March 1984, the miners’ strike began in South Yorkshire, England, at a colliery (coal mine) called Cortonwood. The next day, the National Coal Board (NCB), which ran the country’s collieries for the Government, said it wanted to close 20 of them, which would mean around 20,000 people losing their jobs. Arthur Scargill, the NUM’s leader, said the NCB
was really planning to close many more. On 12 March 1984, the NUM declared a strike across all of Britain. The miners wanted the NCB to stop closing coal mines so miners could keep their jobs.
No work, no pay
Striking miners were not paid. Thousands of families had very little money coming in but communities came together to help each through hard times. Individuals and organisations sent money in support, while miners’ wives (mining was an all-male trade at the time) set up soup kitchens and put together food parcels. Not all miners agreed with the strike.
Some wanted to go back to work, and others carried on working because their mines weren’t set to be closed. These disagreements caused deep divisions and unhappiness in mining communities – even within families.
The authorities’ response
Before the strike, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher made sure Britain had big stocks of coal ready so there would be no power cuts. During the strike, police were called to picket lines (where strikers gather) and violence sometimes broke out.
How did it end?
After a year of protests, the NUM told miners to go back to work on 5 March 1985. Up and down the country, mines closed for good and miners lost their jobs. Coal was never again used as much in British industry as it had been before the strike.
Now, some mines are being used in new ways. In Gateshead, England, one flooded mine is being used to produce environmentally friendly energy. The water, which is warmed underground, is pumped up to the surface where it is being used to heat homes.