1984
1 March National Coal Board (NCB) announces closure of Cortonwood pit in Yorkshire – miners at the pit walk out6 March Scottish and Yorkshire areas of the NUM make strike official12 March Half the country’s miners are on strike – this rises to over 80 percent over the course of the strike15 March David Jones, miner aged 23, killed while picketing in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire29 March Transport unions ban the movement of coal19 April NUM special conference ratifies strike action
Miners confront the police at Orgreave (Pic: John Sturrock)
1984
1 March National Coal Board (NCB) announces closure of Cortonwood pit in Yorkshire – miners at the pit walk out
6 March Scottish and Yorkshire areas of the NUM make strike official
12 March Half the country’s miners are on strike – this rises to over 80 percent over the course of the strike
15 March David Jones, miner aged 23, killed while picketing in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire
29 March Transport unions ban the movement of coal
19 April NUM special conference ratifies strike action
25 April Yorkshire miners’ leader Jack Taylor does deal with the ISTC steel union to allow 30,000 tons of steel a week to be produced at Scunthorpe works
3 May British Steel use heavy lorries to break picket lines
12 May Scottish miners’ leader Mick McGahey agrees to allow normal steel production at Ravenscraig
14 May Some 40,000 striking miners march in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
23 May The Aslef and NUR rail unions settle their pay dispute, preventing them striking alongside the miners
25 May Scab “working miner” groups emerge with government and business backing
30 May Scargill arrested at Orgreave. More than 80 other miners arrested and 62 injured
15 June Joe Green, a miner, is crushed to death while picketing at Ferry Bridge power station
18 June Second mass picket at Orgreave with 5,000 miners. Official figures show more pickets injured than police for first time. Scargill hospitalised
27 June TUC day of action. Some 50 schools take unofficial strike action and over 50,000 people march for the miners
9 July Dock strike starts against movement of coal.It is called off after ten days
14 July 25,000 attend Durham Miners’ Gala
31 July High Court fines South Wales NUM £50,000 under anti-union laws – the first time the union is fined under the laws. Labour leader Neil Kinnock says, “The courts will have their way.”
23 August Second national dock strike over unloading of coal, lasts over three weeks
3 September TUC votes to support miners. This support never materialises
28 September Members of Nacods, the pit deputies’ union, vote by 82.5 percent for strike
24 October Nacods pit deputies’ leaders call off strike
26 October High Court orders the sequestration (seizure) of NUM funds
2 November NCB offers miners a back to work cash bonus
5 November Neil Kinnock refuses to speak at a series of rallies with Scargill
21 November Government cuts supplementary benefits to £16 per week for strikers’ families
30 November Courts appoint Herbert Brewer, a Tory Party official, as the receiver to control NUM assets and funds
5 December Ian MacGregor announces plans to privatise pits
7 December TUC says it will not take action in support of NUM
1985
7 January NCB claim 1,200 miners return to work across country
24 February Mass rally in London for the miners sees many arrests
28 February NCB head Ian MacGregor pledges that sacked miners will not be re-employed
2 March Yorkshire votes to continue strike
3 March NUM conference votes 98 to 91 to return to work
5 March Miners march back to work. All of Scargill’s predictions about pit closure plans are proven correct in years to come
