Miners on Strike: Class Solidarity and Division in Britain

When contrasted with their dramatic strike victories of 1972 and 1974, the shattering industrial defeat suffered by British miners in 1985 has been seen as evidence of the further weakening of working-class solidarity. Waged with complete unity, the strikes of 1972 and 1974 brought the miners substantial material gains, contributed to the downfall of a government, and reinforced the National Union of Mineworkers’ position at the core of the British labour movement. In contrast, 1984-85 saw the miners racked by internal division, and their attempt to resist the pit closure programme of the Thatcher government end in bitter defeat.

Andrew J. Richards is Professor of Political Science, Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Ciencias Sociales, Instituto Juan March de Estudios e Investigaciones, Madrid.