Coalfield Justice

In June 2022 former miners secured through the Scottish Parliament a collective pardon for convictions acquired during their 1984-85 strike. The distinct injustices facing Scottish strikers were finally recognised: twice as likely to be arrested as those in England and Wales and three times as likely to be sacked. This book analyses the injustices of the strike, and shows how the pardons were won, using thirty-seven oral history testimonies from strike veterans and family members. They remember the injustices of arrest, conviction and employment dismissal. The sacked men lost pension entitlements and redundancy payments when the pits closed shortly after the strike, and their criminal convictions were often a barrier to jobs in other industries and services. Veterans and family members emphasise how the National Coal Board (NCB), police and courts enabled Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government to achieve its strike aims: silencing union voice and closing pits deemed unprofitable, to maximise returns from intended privatisation of the coal industry. The difficult economic and social history of the coalfields after the strike was a further major injustice. The strike’s legacy was nevertheless positive. Veteran strikers and family members often found employment in public service: in transport, education, health and social care. They helped mining communities in Scotland to remain resilient and cohesive, with a continued faith in the value of collective organisation and action. This paid off in the justice campaign, which pushed the Scottish government to provide the broad-based collective and posthumous pardon that was won in Parliament in 2022.

Economic Justice · Political science · Canadian Identity and History · Geology · Law

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