The Complicated History of Britain’s Miners
Mining Men is an important history of the last generation of miners. We of course now know the environmental damage of mining, and thankfully there are now no more coal mines to be built (one proposed in Cumbria has thankfully now been scrapped).
But it’s important to know that mining was a dangerous job, and many of its workers were not treated well, if you know your history.
The book explores how miners felt when their pits were closed. And we meet former miners who went on to become factory workers, detectives, driving instructors, counsellors, the local mayor and one even ended up working on Fleet Street.
With accounts from ‘the people’s republic of South Yorkshire’, you’ll also meet miners from the Sunshine Corner Coalfields of Kent, along with others from Wales and Scotland.
Britain’s last deep coalmine closed in 2015, yet just 50 years before the industry employed over 250,000 people. Once considered the backbone industry of Britain, the miners fought hard against pit closures during the strike of 1984 and 1985.
The controversy was more on the way that miners were treated, as we obviously know that mining is not a sustainable industry.
Author Emily P Webber wrote research papers at university on the mining industry from 1947 to pit closures at the end of the 20th century. She has spoken to over 100 former miners, and has also worked for the Imperial War Museum and Holocaust Exhibition.
What Was the Miners’ Strike About?
The Miners Strike in 1984 lasted for over a year, brought about by unions and miners trying to prevent the closure of 20 colliers, where it was often the only employment in the communities.
As the bitter battle ensued, it became more the Conservative government’s struggle to stop huge power by trade unions, in an age where Margaret Thatcher famously said ‘there is no such thing as society’.
Despite the dangerous dirty job, mining families were indeed part of close-knit communities, so this created huge tensions. But the realisation that we needed to switch to cleaner energy, also meant there was less demand for coal.
The controversy was that no real support was offered to educate or fund alternative employment. 8 people died during the miners’ strike including workers, picketers and even a taxi driver.
After the strike was declared illegal, gradually miners began returning to work. People also began to lose faith in the National Miners Union, as the government refused to concede with any of their demands. So in effect, they had gone on strike for nothing.
Though at first the miners’ strike was popular with the general public, this soon subsided when first the coal ran out. And then when things starting turning violent. The end result was that the UK coal industry was then privatised.
What Was Arthur Scargill’s Legacy?
Arthur Scargill was the president of the National Union of Miners, during the strike. The controversy was that ballots were held in regions, with no national ballot to go on strike, saying that miners with safe jobs should not vote on striking in areas with vulnerable pits.
This led to controversy, as miners in areas like Nottinghamshire never voted to strike. And as a national strike by law needed a national ballot, this is why the strike had to end. Even the Labour government could not support an illegal strike.
Today the Barnsley suburb of Worsborough (Scargill’s community) has no mines, just as big ASDA, and ‘modern shops’ like vaping retailers, nail bars and a tanning salon.
One local resident says the community spirit has gone, saying she can’t even now leave potted plants in her garden – someone even stole her garden gnome.
