The miners' strike of 1984-85 was the biggest industrial dispute in post-war Britain, with three quarters of the country's miners going on strike to oppose pit closures and job losses. The strike marked the end of an era for Britain's trade union movement and paved the way for the privatisation of nationalised industries.
The miners' strike of 1984-85 was a defining moment in the history of British coal mining and the biggest industrial dispute in post-war Britain. A mass rally of striking miners and their supporters was held in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, in May 1984. About three quarters of the country's 187,000 miners went on strike to oppose the pit closures , which were expected to mean 20,000 job losses . Thousands of officers were drafted in to police the picket lines, with violence breaking out at times.
The miners' eventual defeat was the end of an era for Britain's trade union movement and helped cement Mrs Thatcher's reputation as the Iron Lady. It paved the way for the privatisation of more nationalised industries and utilities, including steel, railways, gas, telecoms and water. A wave of pit closures followed the strike and almost all of the UK's deep coal mines - where digging takes place underground - were shut within the next 20 years. In former mining areas, just as the workers had warned with their slogan "Close a pit, kill a community"
Miners' Strike British Coal Mining Industrial Dispute Pit Closures Job Losses Trade Union Movement Privatisation Nationalised Industries
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