Michael Clapham

Labour Party | Barnsley West and Penistone

The Miners Strike 1984/85

28 March 2009

The 1984/85 miners strike is the most important industrial dispute for the UK trade union and Labour movement in the post war years. A Tory Government who was intent on taking the miners on provoked it.

The strike dates back to before 1974. Remember the union had enjoyed two victories in 1972 and 1974. The latter resulted in the Tory government under Ted Heath losing the general election and Thatcher came to power in 1979 intent on revenge.

There main weapon was to be new technology. The NCB with Tory connivance had developed a computer system to link the mechanised processes from the coalface to the colliery washery plant together to form a semi automated production system. This they believed would increase machine running time by two thirds thereby allowing them to close down production in the peripheral coalfields.

The NCB had been working on the system for a decade and despite a joint consultation system it had never been mentioned to the union. A joint approach would have been possible because the union has never opposed new technology. If there had been an open system of consultation and a joint endeavour on the technology project most likely there would have been a technology agreement.

What is not commonly known is that once the union became aware of the NCB's intention it sought a technology agreement. The then Dunn the then Deputy Chairman told the union a TA was inappropriate. With a TA I do not think there would have been a strike.

The other point to remember is that because they were intent on concentrating their investment plan on the English coalfields a national ballot would have been unfair. It would have provided a mechanism for the men in the peripheral coalfields to be voted out of a job. So a system of area ballots was more equal and fairer.

There were ups and downs during the strike and there was hardship but there were highs as well. During the negotiations each time we were near to a settlement MacGregor would change the goal posts. I recall on one occasion we had decided on three types of closure and after ringing around the areas to find how many collieries would close due to exhaustion we thought we were at the door of a negotiated settlement only to find the door slimed in our faces. Has time went on the pattern was clear they had no intention of reaching a negotiated settlement and they were deliberately lifting peoples hopes up only to dash them as a ploy to drive more desperate men back to work.

It was also a liberating experience and the 'Women Against Pit Closures' led the way. They broke the macho taboo of the mining communities and it freed a generation of women to pursue greater equality and do things they never believed they would do

Thatcher's legacy was mass redundancies in mining communities with the closure of 106 coalmines between March 1985 and March 1990. Currently there is an energy oligopoly of just six suppliers. Energy security has been undermined by the importation of 45 million tonnes of coal per annum and the overuse of gas in power stations. Society has become more avaricious, individualistic and greedy.