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I’ve often wondered over the years what would have happened to the mining industry had Arthur Scargill and his mates not forced a strike on us all…. and brought it all crashing down around their ears.
I think that many of the ‘pits’ were, at the time, uneconomic to operate – i.e. the cost of extracting the coal was getting to the point where it could only be sold at an actual loss. However, there were a number of pits that were in fact economic – i.e. profitable to operate.
My guess is that, over time, and with the ever increasing costs of manual labour, progressively more pits would have had to close. I think that some of the more ‘modern’ pits would have fully embraced mechanical extraction – but this would have resulted in a gradual diminishment of jobs and so the end result would have been more or less the same.
Looking back over it, I suspect that the strike simply accelerated the inevitable.
There you go again with the forcing a strike, if anyone forced a strike twas Maggie and the main problem was cheap coal imports. Uneconomic pits did close at a certain point and the workers transferred to other collieries where possible. The miners decided to strike (and lets face it Scargill said she wanted to close collieries down, Maggie denied every word, who was lying?) and they deciced to go back. I voted no both times I didnt think we could win and once we’d been out a year it was total defeat if we went back then. Maggie prepared for months, years even waiting till the time was right, then casually announcced the closure of 20 pits.
Yes maybe Scargill should have called a ballot then perhaps the Nottinghamshire miners (scabs) wouldnt have been suckered into working by Maggies lies (where’s their promises now)Coal imports into the UK 2000 to 2005
The UK used to produce the vast majority of its coal requirements; for example in 1980 it produced 130 million tonnes and imported 7½ million tonnes. Imports were mainly of coking coal or other grades that the UK’s mines could not readily produce. As the UK’s coal production declined, imports rose steadily and a milestone was reached in 2001 when more coal was imported (35½ million tonnes) than was produced in the UK (32 million tonnes). Imports have continued to increase as more coal handling capacity has been installed at British ports and imports reached a record 44 million tonnes in 2005. UK coal production in 2005 was 20½ million tonnes. Since 1997 power stations (which currently account for 85 per cent of coal consumption in the UK) have used more coal each year than has been produced in the UKSince 1999 coal use by UK power stations has been on a rising trend because high gas prices made gas use for generation less attractive. Slightly lower gas prices in 2002 led to a small recovery in gas use and the requirement for imported steam coal was correspondingly less. However, a further reduction in UK coal production in 2004 and 2005 has increased the need for imported coal although the increase in coal use at power stations has been more modest. In 2005 about two-thirds of the coal used by power stations was imported and over 90 per cent of the coal used by other consumers.
UK coal imports are likely to rise further to 47 million tonnes in 2006, which will be a doubling in the 6 years since 2000. Within this total, coking coal imports have remained fairly constant at around 7 million tonnes per year with the growth being in steam coal imports.Coal which we could have produced with jobs for british workers. The 1984 strike was about saving jobs and communities, at least to the miners is was, to Maggie it was all about revenge for Heaths defeat and the removal of anmy real union power.
Fact is it was a strike that could have been won had other unions shown any support at all.
I guess that IF ‘comrade’ Scargill had sought a proper ballot and had involved the ‘other unions’ the striking miners would have had full and total trade union support.
As it was, he steadfastly refused to do this and instead insisted on calling what was to all intents and purposes an ‘unofficial’ strike complete with his infamous ‘flying pickets’, street battles, civil disorder, violence and so on.
I think that the general mood at the time was that nobody wanted to go back to the ‘three day week’ and power cuts etc etc – not to mention the collateral damage that other industries would have had happen to them.
So although comrade Scargill was supported (for a while) by his fellow travelling trade unionists, none of them were really prepared to get involved and openly assist him on his aims.
As for the purported confrontation between “Maggie” and “Arthur” well in a way I guess it was – looking back on it. You had a communist inspired trade union leader wanting a political confrontation with an elected Government – a sort of ‘worker’s revolution’ if you wish.
On the other hand you had a strongly led Government that wasn’t about to let itself get forced out of office and so bring the country to a state of virtual anarchy.
Painful though it certainly was, particularly for close knit mining communities, thank goodness the Government side ‘won’ as if they had lost and been forced out of office who knows what the consequences might have been?
Violence caused by who, in very few cases was it the miners despite claims by the government backed by the media. Had the miners won ? We’d have better employment and less imports of coal, or are you saying all miners were militant and simply sheep who would have followed Scargill’s every word.
@pete wrote:
Violence caused by who, in very few cases was it the miners despite claims by the government backed by the media. Had the miners won ? We’d have better employment and less imports of coal, or are you saying all miners were militant and simply sheep who would have followed Scargill’s every word.
Two things:
Firstly, I think that the mining industry (as it was then) was gradually and inexorably declining as coke / coal was being used less and less for domestic purposes and at the same time was being steadily replaced as a fuel source for industrial use (power generation etc etc). The gradual decline in consumption coupled with the increased costs of production could only lead one way…… as history has now proved.
Clearly imported coal played its part in this. I remember commentators pointing out that coal could be mined in Poland and shipped all the way here, even with all the shipping and handling costs it STILL cost substantially less than locally mined coal. Hardly surprising really, when British industry was in the constant grip of ‘go slows’; ‘work to rule actions’;and exhorbitant wage demands, backed by instant strikes, all pushing up the cost of labour (in a labour intensive industry).
Secondly, I’m not suggesting that ALL miners were “sheep” etc – clearly a number of them were able to think for themselves and make their own minds up – which is probably why the Nottinghamshire miners (amongst many others) didn’t join in with the strike.
However, I AM suggesting that there was a small, vociferous and violent minority (an inner circle if you like) who were unswervingly loyal to comrade Scargill and who not only willingly assisted him in fomenting this strike for covertly political purposes, but also who orchestrated, led and directed its enforcement against those who wanted to work and take no part in it.
This was probably the last great ‘political’ strike of the century and whilst feelings still run deep, the fact is that comrade Scargill and his cronies didn’t really care about the miners themselves (although they professed to do so); they didn’t really care about their union, the NUM, as following the collapse of the strike the union was ‘broken’; what they did really care about was getting rid of the democratically elected Government.
Remember the chants of “Maggie Maggie Maggie – Out Out Out”???
Fortunately, comrade Scargill failed ….. and the rest is history.
facinating ! the two sides battle on
Hardly suprising when Britain cared far more about the safety and working conditions of it’s miners than Poland did. And exorbitant wage demands ? Take home pay of £145 for a 7 day week as a non face worker in a colliery where the production bonus wasnt very big due to conditions, thats exorbitant ???
Indeed the Nottinghamshire miners thought for themselves, our jobs will be secure Maggie ? our collieries will stay open Maggie ?
One question, on the question of pit closures who lied ? Scargill or Thatcher. I didnt like Scargill didnt like his politics but you cant escape the fact that the government lied through it’s teeth. Secondly ive shown coal use for power production has grown not declined
The UK used to produce the vast majority of its coal requirements; for example in 1980 it produced 130 million tonnes and imported 7½ million tonnes. Imports were mainly of coking coal or other grades that the UK’s mines could not readily produce. As the UK’s coal production declined, imports rose steadily and a milestone was reached in 2001 when more coal was imported (35½ million tonnes) than was produced in the UK (32 million tonnes). Imports have continued to increase as more coal handling capacity has been installed at British ports and imports reached a record 44 million tonnes in 2005. UK coal production in 2005 was 20½ million tonnes
Each colliery took it’s own decision and the Durham coalfield was hardly militant Maggie wanted revenge for 1972 and to crush the unions forever and if communities had the heart ripped out of them then so be it and for that alone she should NEVER be forgiven
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