"Industry had retained almost all production," notes Andrew Marr. They decided to impose restrictions on power usage, electricity was rationed and firms not classed as essential services were forced to restrict their power usage to three days a week. Miners voted to take industrial action if their demands werent [4], In the aftermath of the vote, there was speculation that the army would be used to transport coal and man the power stations. voters of the Three Day Week. The incident cast a long shadow over the UK for the next decade. They are also seen shouting at strike-breakers entering the mine and . The strike was characterised by the miners sending flying pickets to other industrial sites to persuade other workers to strike in solidarity, which led to railway workers' refusing to transport coal and power station workers' refusing to handle coal. rejected the proposal by almost a 2-to-1 margin (143,006 to 82,631). Why did the miners strike in 1972? - Studybuff Then came the miners' strike of 1974, which clearly showed the stranglehold of the NUM bureaucracy. Three-Day Week - Wikipedia All 289 pits in England and Wales are closed and the miners say they are prepared for a long fight. But the public vote went against him resulting in victory for the Labour Party. The February 1974 general election was dominated by the three day working week and miners' strike as an issue: Heath believed that this was a politically opportune time to hold an election because he thought, broadly speaking, the public agreed with the Tories' hardline stance on the issue of union power and strikes. In March 1984, the coal miners went on strike again. targeting all other major coal users including steelworks and ports to ramp up I was there then. Through the past darkly as candles shed light on the 70s [4][8], There had been some violence on miners' picket lines during the unofficial strike of 1969 and the official strike of 1972. It lasted a year and was possibly the longest and most damaging dispute in Britain's industrial history. Feb. 02, 1974 - Pit Strike is still on: Despite Mr. Heath's appeal to the miners yesterday to suspend their strike for the period of the election campaign, it was decided at today's executive meeting of the National Union of Minworkers to go ahead with the strike, due to start at midnight tomorrow. of 86. The bitter cold of January did not bring the power cuts. three specified consecutive days a week and were banned from operating for long In early December the government announced a new set of emergency measures including a 50mph speed limit on all roads, a heating limit of 63F (17C) in office and commercial premises and a reduction in street lighting. It was the largest, longest trade union struggle in Britain, and the most far reaching in its consequences, since the 1926 General Strike. The 1972 miners' strike: a rank-and-file strike - Counterfire This meant I was working 5 days in total. Compared to other countries such as the Netherlands, Britain MINERS STRIKE, PICKETS | Yorkshire Film Archive General Election more on that shortly. 1972 began with a coal miners' strike. 43% pay rise for its members. These included hospitals and supermarkets, along with newspaper printing by 35%. They returned to work on 25 February among the highest paid in the working classes after a seven week stoppage. BBC ON THIS DAY | 16 | 1972: Miners' strike turns off the lights - BBC News Miners We would have candles and mum made us all Bovril to drink. Week already into its second month, Prime Minister Heath called a snap election. One of the most controversial events of the Thatcher years was the miners' strike of 1984/85. The inside content does convey a bit of Freedom's waning . The Edward Heath-led Conservative The loan was granted on condition that the government made cuts to public spending. For children it was an exciting time to be growing up. There were many reasons why the 1984-5 miners' strike failed where previous ones had succeeded. Freedom newspaper, for its part, recognised the significance of the workers' ability to "cut off the power".The front cover for January 5th 1974 (Volume 35/1) rather smartly thinks about the multiple meanings of "power", as a cheery looking fella bulldozes the ruling class under the caption "ANARCHISTS DEMAND POWER CUTS". image of a lengthy queue of people signing on at the dole office, proved slogan Who governs Britain?. After the first few weeks, debate in government focused on whether they could ease the restrictions to let businesses work for five rather than three days. . Could the Three Day Week happen today? The Post Office had to issue petrol coupons - similar to food rations in the war [ALAMY]. Another General Election followed in October, which saw Labour gain a slim majority of three following a campaign where it made great capital out of its role in ending the miners strike. The Three-Day Week was one of several measures introduced in the United Kingdom in 19731974 by Edward Heath's Conservative government to conserve electricity, the generation of which was severely restricted owing to industrial action by coal miners and railway workers. We worked our butts off and with the O/T Rates, Time and a third, Time and a half and Double time, I was getting paid for around 90hrs per week and as we had power over the weekends, I wasnt out Boozing, instead, was earning Wages at overtime rates, so for 4 days hard work, I was getting about 3x my normal wage for the day back then (which was 12.74 gross back then). This page was last edited on 3 October 2022, at 22:15. 1972 miners strike: Power cuts and picket lines across Edinburgh and Office workers in London attempt to keep warm during the 1974 power cuts. holders would be subject to power cuts up to 9 hours every other day; schools would have no heating or lights; and shops, offices, and . Read the full story, and see more archive pictures, in this weeks Fife Free Press out on Thursday. It carried the slogan Remember the last time the Television broadcasts were to shut down at 22:30 each evening, and most pubs were closed; due to the power surges generated at 22:30, the Central Electricity Generating Board argued for a staggered shutdown on BBC and ITV, alternating nightly, and this was eventually introduced. In 1984, for reasons which we examine, it had to be miners picketing out miners. The miners had always sought to deplete stocks by action short of a strike, and then impose a total strike when the economy was least able to resist it. miners' strikes He announced the imposition of a "three-day week" from January 1 for all industries and a 10.30pm shutdown for television except at Christmas. When the lights DID go out: How 1970s Britain plunged into darkness In discussion it was argued that the Government should not appear to use the three-day week as a threat to the unions. A brief history of strike action Listen: Dominic Sandbrook explores the pivotal early years of Margaret Thatcher's premiership in Britain, 1979-82 The Thatcher factor First, the miners were divided. 1972 miners strike: Power cuts and picket lines across Edinburgh - MSN What Is The Low Frequency Demand Disconnection (LFDD) Scheme? Nine months after the blackout winter there was a baby boom. supplies, with the majority of electricity at the time generated by coal-fired Hitherto the aim had been to restrict consumption to prolong endurance. [6], On 24 January 1974, 81% of NUM members voted to strike, having rejected the offer of a 16.5% pay rise. It was reported that one hairdresser in Essex planned to get round the three-day week by selling baked beans for 75p a tin along with free shampoo, as food shops were exempt from the restriction. pressure on the government. 297) and formed a minority government. January to August 1972. "Almost everybody loved it," says writer Robert Elms. Commercial consumption of electricity would be limited to three consecutive days each week. This was an era of industrial strife, which saw government and trade unions. Heath believed that the public sided with the Conservatives on the issues of strikes and union power. [4] The television broadcasting restrictions were introduced on 17 December 1973, suspended for the Christmas and New Year period, and lifted on 8 February 1974. Miners picketed at coal-fired power stations, before There had been a widespread unofficial response or perceived lack of response to the Winter of Discontent and asks menswear assistant Mr Humphries, played by John Inman. 3% below the average worker in manufacturing. Im currently writing a dissertation on the three day week and was wondering if you can provide some references? This led to a worker walkout on 9 January, the first official The miners picked up the gauntlet and on 1 February 1974 their national ballot returned an 80 percent yes vote for all out strike. The use of electricity for floodlighting, advertising and for the heating of shops, offices and restaurants was banned. 33 That contract . The strike occurred because wage negotiations between the NUM and the National Coal Board of the United Kingdom had broken down. Moreover to maintain the present restrictions would be seen as a tacit admission that the Government expected the majority of miners to vote for a strike. Hi Jill, thanks for commenting v good spot on the typo, have now corrected the article. By the end of the embargo in The trade figures would inevitably get worse if short-time work continued. I was working in Aeroquip in Wales, at the time. election of Mick McGahey to vice-president had moved the NUM in a more militant "I am Santa Heath," said television impressionist Mike Yarwood on his Christmas show. rising unemployment. The 1974 strike was particularly significant as it led to power cuts and the declaration of . The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries enforced a boycott of the United States and an embargo on oil supplies to nations perceived as supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur War. although this limit was lifted on 8 February after the Prime Minister called a The strike started on 5 February, and with the Three Day The lockout of nearly 600 miners at the Rio Tinto Borax mine in Boron, California, has entered its fourth week . "They took to the three-day week with glee." The police were on the lookout for petrol hoarders - with 180 gallons of fuel found in one company director's garage. [1] Browse 5,121 miners strike stock photos and images available, or search for miners strike 1984 or miners strike wales to find more great stock photos and pictures. By Allan Crow Sunday, 13th February 2022, 9:31 am. met. He responded "You can't dig coal with bayonets."[4]. Perhaps the most impactful of all were Heath's tangles with the miners union, who went on strike once in 1972, and then again in 1974. I remember this era and it was very much a communist verses moderate conservatism from both the Conservative and Labour parties. [4], On 21 February 1974, the government's Pay Board reported that the NUM's pay claim was within the Phase 3 system for claims and would return miners' wages to the levels recommended by the Wilberforce Inquiry in 1972. the new Prime Minister. [4], In the 1970s, most of the UK's electricity was produced by coal-burning power stations. All 9 of us, worked all the overtime we were allowed and managed to keep the workflow rolling in 4 days (as opposed to 5 normal days + OT {some evenings and Sat mornings} and kept the little business viable). Within hours, 1000 extra police had been thrown into Nottinghamshire against the picketing miners. Labour, the governing party, ran advertising campaigns reminding a league table of the best-paid industrial jobs. As our power grid transitions away from coal to renewables, it appears unlikely. limiting electricity to homes and businesses through rota disconnections, Cabinet papers published through the National Archive, threats to the continuity of the nations electricity supplies, Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, Exploring 8 Of The Most Common Power Problems, ERCOT Publishes Preliminary Report Into Causes Of Texas Blackout. SIR: Yes - oh dear yes - the miners' strike tells a story and we have had to wait a while for the London Review of Books to give us the privilege of reading an interpretation of it in its pages. government refused permission for the US air force to use its military bases. Meanwhile the Government must go ahead with the arrangements to introduce the three-day working week. 7-8% increases. Rolling power cuts in the 1960s Digital Spy On 5 January 1972, the NUMs executive committee rejected "Match of the day!" Thatcher, who was a member of the Heath government back in 1974, learned lessons from the Three Day Week and ensured coal supplies were well stocked ahead of the next major dispute with the miners in 1984-85. His use of so-called 'flying pickets' - striking miners sent to specific plants, usually to prevent the transportation of coal - had been a notable success in the strike of 1974, and his forceful personality had brought him to national attention.

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