Zusammenfassung der Ressource
The Miners' Strike of 1984-5
- Causes:
- Coal increasingly
costly and difficult
to mine
- British mines
running at a
loss
- Pit closures
- Redundancies
- Nationalisation
had not altered
- Little
government
investment
- Government's
case for pit
closures:
- Unwilling to put
more public
money into an
old fashioned,
doomed industry.
- Mining had little
chance of being
able to recover
its place in a
competitive
market.
- Not taking
necessary hard
measures would
delay the inevitable.
- Better to face
the situation now
and lessen the
consequences
by generous
redundancy
settlements
- ... than
pretend
things will
get better.
- Miners' case
against pit
closures:
- With proper
investment
programme and
government
commitment for
long term power
source mines could
work.
- Large parts of British coal
industry has a profitable future
- Social Consequences:
- Coal is a way of life for some
- Whole communities dependent
- South Wales
- Yorkshire
- Durham
- Why were the miners defeated?
- Arthur Scargill's
abrasive manner
alienated some
unions
- Scargill's
refusal to ballot
for strikes
- made strikes
look forced
- Few other trade unions offered support
- Public opinion
was that the
workers started
it- largely pro
govt.
- The govt (prev
always supported
NCB) had
stockpiled fuel and
supplies
- Labour opposition not convincing
- Norman Tebbit's
Employment Act
gave NCB and
govt. powerful
restraints against
NUM.
- Coal no longer vital
- Coal
belonged
to a
passed
age- strike
= futile
- Consequences of
the miners' defeat:
- Divided public
shocked 65%
pro police, 35
pro riot
- Social
commentators said
there was growing
lawlessmess
- Planned changes faster
- redundancy
- social disruption
- Violent defeat
- convinced
people the
strikes were
futile and silly
- Gave heart to
employers who
wanted to introduce
modern techniques
to other industries
- (Since NCB's victory
was really the govt's
victory, )Thatcher
decided to defeat other
opponents with purpose
and determination.