The miners’ strike of 1984-1985 was a pivotal moment of the second Thatcher Government, and an ideological victory for the application of “free market” principles in a heavily subsidised nationalised industry in need of modernisation. Mrs Thatcher appointed Ian MacGregor as Head of the National Coal Board, who had previously turned British Steel into a profitable business by halving its workforce within 2 years.
The National Union of Miners, anxious to avoid the proposed 20,000 redundancies caused by the closure of 20 unprofitable pits and increased mechanisation, called a national strike on 12th March 1984. The strike caused considerable bitterness, with 10 strike-related deaths, and exposed deep divisions within British society. It ended on 3rd March 1985 as the increasing poverty of its members forced the NUM to capitulate. Pit closures intensified in the early 1990s and the majority have now closed as the result of government policy to move away from reliance upon coal. |
