UK Miners' Strike (1984–1985)

The miners' strike of 1984/1985 was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement. It was also seen as a major political and ideological victory for Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party.

Coal was a nationalised industry and, as in most of Europe, was heavily subsidised. A number of mines ("pits") in the United Kingdom were profitable and remained open after the strike, including some operating as of 2007 . There were also a number of mines that were unprofitable and the government wanted to close. The viability of many of these mines was called into question but the government - in a hurry to avoid any further losses - closed many before reports were collated, instead of using temporary offers of increased redundancy pay to encourage miners into voting in favour of pit closures. In addition, all the mines required efficiency improvements in order to attain or increase their profitability, which was to be done by means of increased mechanisation. Many unions resisted this as it would necessarily result in job cuts.

The strike became a symbolic struggle, since the miners' union was one of the strongest in the country. The strike ended with the defeat of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) by the Conservative government, which then proceeded to consolidate its free market programme. The political power of the NUM was broken permanently. The dispute exposed deep divisions in British society and caused considerable bitterness, especially in Northern England and in South Wales. Ten deaths resulted from events around the strike, which is exceptional in the history of British industrial relations.

Text harvested from Wikipedia: UK miners' strike (1984–1985)


Miners' strike: BBC Tyne archive pictures. More from BBC Tyne here BBC Tyne - Miners' Strike.

Easington: August 1984. Documentation of a County Durham colliery village under police siege, at the height of the Miners’ Strike.

A civil war without guns 20 years on, the lessons of the 1984-85 miners’ strike

Strike 84 - Then and Now



Watching the pits disappear

BBC Slideshow: The miners' strike

Women in the Miners' Strike 1984/85 in the Northeast of England

Miners' strike of 1984: Your memories




TUC: The 1984-85 Miners' Strike

Wikipedia: UK miners' strike (1984–1985)

BBC - Video Nation - Miners' Strike 25 Years On

YouTube - Miners strike 1984 A tribute to the miners and their families. Plenty more videos of the strike on YouTube.

Images courtesy of BBC Tyne.