UK miners' strike (1972)

The 1972 UK miners' strike occurred after wage negotiations between the National Union of Mineworkers and the National Coal Board had broken down. It was the first time since 1926 that British miners had officially gone on strike (although there had been unofficial strikes).^[1] The dispute was caused by the issue of low pay.^[2] During the Fifties, the wages of miners went up from a pre-war position of 84th to near the top in the league table of the wages earned by industrial workers,^[3] and by 1960, miners’ wages were 7.4% above the average pay of workers in manufacturing industries. During the Sixties, however, however, miners’ pay fell behind other workers, and by 1970 were earning 3.1% less than the average worker in manufacturing.^[4]

Power shortages emerged and a state of emergency was declared on 9 February. The strike lasted seven weeks and ended after miners agreed to a pay offer on 19 February.^[5] This offer came after the Battle of Saltley Gate, when around 2000 NUM pickets descended on a coke works in Birmingham and were later joined by thousands of workers from other industries in Birmingham.^[6]

A miner from Hatfield Colliery in Yorkshire, Freddie Matthews, was killed by a lorry whilst picketing during the strike, which led to a huge crowd at his funeral.^[7]

The result was characterised as a "victory for violence" by the Conservative Cabinet at the time, in reference to some clashes between miners and police, and to some throwing of stones and bottles at lorries trying to pass the pickets.^[8] However, the violence appeared very slight in comparison to that of the 1984-5 strike and has largely been forgotten.

See also

• UK miners' strike (disambiguation)

References