‘What they are scared of is a redistribution of power and wealth in this country.’ Strike: Inside the Unions I, Mick Lynch, BBC 2023
During the final months of 2022 Britain was engulfed in a cost of living crisis. Millions of working people in need of a pay rise turned to trade unions. And at this critical moment in their history, unions have opened their doors to cameras. ibid.
This is the biggest wave of strikes the country has seen in decades. ibid.
There are now threatened strikes by teachers, postal workers, civil servants, and right across the NHS. ibid.
In the midst of the UK’s new Winter of Discontent the government and unions are deadlocked. As the surge of strikes spreads and moves into its most intense phase yet we’re inside the setbacks and victories in the biggest industrial struggle for a generation. Strike: Inside the Unions II
Amazon employees in Coventry … The first official UK Amazon strike. ibid.
In South London the Abellio bus drivers are on their seventeenth day of strike action over pay and better working conditions. ibid.
February 2023: 348,000 days lost to industrial action in the UK. ibid.
For the Royal College of Nursing an escalation of strikes is also on the agenda. ibid.
Abellio: An 18% increase. ibid.
Austin, Minnesota, 1986: ‘Enough is enough. We want jobs and justice.’ American Dream, 1990, Jesse Jackson to meeting of Hormel strikers
Geo A Hormel & Co: In 1984 declared profits of $29.5 million. That year Hormel cut wages from $10.69 to $8.25 per hour claiming the need to stay competitive. ibid. captions
Jim Guyete president Local Union P-9: ‘Their pride is hurt because they can’t fulfil the needs of their family and they’ve somehow got to go on welfare programs. People are very angry, hurt, upset, frustrated.’ ibid.
‘The company strategy is a clear one. They want to freeze us out. They want to starve us out.’ ibid.
571 workers were fired at Hormel’s other plants for honoring P-9’s picket line. ibid. caption
With the coal strike now in its 32nd week, Ian MacGregor and Arthur Scargill are still a long way apart. World in Action: The Coal War, ITV 1984
Ten years ago Ian MacGregor took on the mighty American Miners’ Union and broke them in the coal-rich western states … Mr MacGregor and Mr Scargill then have both tasted victory and now they seem just as determined to win again. ibid.
Kentucky 1974: A company foreman opened fire on pickets after a year-long strike. ibid.
Dunnes shop worker Mary Manning refused to handle SA goods and was backed up by her shop steward, Karen Gearon. Both were suspended. 9 colleagues came out in support. The strike lasted 3 years and forced the Irish government to ban the import of all SA goods. Saul Staniforth tweet 19th July 2023
A critical week for the miners’ strike. Would it flare up into an all-out war between the unions and the government? Or will it fizzle out as government ministers are predicting privately with the divided miners drifting back to work? Panorama: The Coal War, BBC 1984
This dispute has turned miners in some areas once regarded as moderate into the strike’s staunchest backers. ibid.
Since privatisation pits have closed all over Durham. ibid.
The miners fear that far from being the end, these closures may be the prelude to even more. ibid.
The railways companies have made profit all the way through this dispute. They’ve been subsidised to run this strike. It’s the most corrupt strike in our history, I believe, the government is paying them to face us down in this dispute. Mick Lynch
One strike off; another one threatened. And this was supposed to be the age of the train. TV Eye, Thames TV 1982
Aslef have never agreed to give up the eight-hour day first negotiated in 1919. ibid.
It’s not just money that’s at the basis of the dispute. Flexible rostering would mean 4,000 fewer drivers. ibid.
The unions have seen many jobs go in the last ten years. ibid.
You couldn’t not be aware of the tension and anger that was bubbling. Miners’ Strike 1984: The Battle for Britain I: Community, scab, Channel 4 2024
In 1984 Britain changed for ever. A year that divided communities. Transformed the way we are policed. And revealed who really runs the country. ibid. captions
More than half of Britain’s miners are now on strike. ibid.
Plans are announced to close 20 coal mines resulting in the loss of 20,000 jobs. Arthur Scargill, president of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), calls for a strike. ibid.
One town in Derbyshire would become known as the most divided in Britain – Shirebrook. ibid.
June 1984: Two-thirds of Britain’s miners are out on strike. ibid.
In March 1985 the NUM calls off the year-long dispute. ibid.
Orgreave is number one disaster in my brain. Miners’ Strike 1984: The Battle for Britain II: Law and Order, miner
Across the country violence between police and miners is increasing. In South Yorkshire the bloodiest day of the strike is about to begin: the Battle of Orgreave. ibid.
Since the start of the strike, police roadblocks have stopped striking miners travelling to working areas. ibid.
‘Orgreave: They [rozzers] even put signs up like an antiques fair so everyone could find their way.’ ibid. miners
The police line pushes the miners away from the plant towards the nearby village … The village is now the front line. ibid. caption
55 miners were charged under the Riot Act. ibid.
This is the Orwellian bit. This is 1984. ibid.
You are causing it by your very presence here. ibid. angry woman to rozzers
The mass corruption in the taking of witness statements. ibid. woman
Their own film does not show miners attacking police. ibid. Michael Mansfield
No officer involved at Orgreave has ever faced disciplinary action. ibid.
Some view Scargill’s strike as an attempt to overthrow Margaret Thatcher’s government. Miners’ Strike 1984: The Battle for Britain III: Power, caption
I had great trouble in convincing the Nottinghamshire miners to get involved. ibid. NUM officer
Shortly after the strike Nottinghamshire miners break away from the NUM and form their own union. They force out those still loyal to Arthur Scargill. ibid. caption
Arthur Scargill issued a naked threat to the state. ibid. David Hart
It was the most divisive conflict in a generation. 40 years ago nearly 170,000 coal miners went on strike. For a year, miners and their families were pitted against the government. And against each other. Miners’ Strike: A Frontline Story, captions, BBC 2024
40 years on the feelings are still as strong in me. ibid. miner
Our livelihood and who we are was being destroyed. ibid.
All Yorkshire miners go on strike to try and stop the closures. The NUM leadership calls for every miner in Britain to join them. ibid. caption
Though some Nottinghamshire miners decide to join the strike, the majority continue to work. ibid. caption
We were being used. ibid. rozzer
Orgreave: The miners are met by 6,000 police officers equipped with riot gear, dogs and horses. ibid.