The Miner’s Strike: 40 Years Later – The Fight for Justice Continues
This year marks 40 years since the beginning of the 1984/85 miner’s strike. It was one of Britain’s longest-running industrial disputes, as working-class mining communities defended their livelihoods against a Thatcher-led government that was intent on destroying them. Unfortunately, the strike was not successful, and in its aftermath the trade union movement was weakened, and neoliberal policies became the status quo. This had catastrophic consequences for working-class communities across the country and its effects continue to be felt today.
The Conservative government of the time did all it possibly could to prevent the National Union of Miners’s winning the dispute, since a victory for the NUM would have symbolised a wider victory for the working-class and organised labour. The Conservative Party’s handling of the strike reveals its focus on preventing the collective organisation of labour.
This determination to break the strike, and the injustice faced by so many miners, is perhaps most evident from a confrontation that took place on the 18th of June 1984, which came to be known as the “Battle of Orgreave”. On this day, 5000 striking miners gathered at Orgreave to picket and were confronted by 6000 members of the South Yorkshire Police.
As the miners attempted to picket, police officers began a series of charges, including on horseback, towards the picketers which forced many of them backwards. During the charges miners were struck with truncheons and beaten, many of them brutally. Especially during the third charge, random miners (who were unarmed) were grabbed by officers and beaten. Footage from the day shows miners with bloodied faces and torn clothes being dragged away by police officers.
Media reports of the time, and the Conservative Party narrative, portrayed the miners as an aggressive group that sought violence. This claim is inaccurate and seeks to discredit the picketers by painting them as trouble-causers, while the police are presented as keepers of the peace. Consider this: why did the police force arrive in riot gear, carry shields and truncheons, and bring police dogs, while also being reinforced by police on horseback?
Despite many miners being seriously injured, not a single police faced consequences for their violent conduct. However, nearly 100 miners were arrested, including Arthur Scargill, the president of the NUM. 71 miners were charged with riot, which at the time could have resulted in a life sentence in prison. Prime Minister Thatcher personally pushed for them to be charged with rioting, despite publicly claiming that she was not involved in the strike. The charges were later dropped after the police’s evidence was rejected in court. Some miners received compensation in the early 1990s, but the fight for justice continues.
In 2015 a report by the Independent Police Complaint Commission stated that there was “excessive violence by police officers, a false narrative from police exaggerating violence by miners” alongside perjury and cover-ups. Following this, there were further calls for an official inquiry. Predictably, in 2016 the Conservative government refused such requests. The party’s position has not changed. Justice for working class communities will never be achieved under a Tory government.
However, there remains hope that an inquiry could come soon. The deputy leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner, told the Trades Union Congress in 2023 that Labour is committed to launching an official inquiry. If Labour is elected in this year’s election, all those who want justice for the Orgreave miners must place pressure on the party to ensure that it follows through on its promise.
The Orgreave miners deserve to have their names vindicated, and there must be an official government apology alongside a recognition of the government’s role on the day. An official inquiry would also ensure accountability and would recognise that there had been a miscarriage of justice and improper policing. This would not solve the physical and psychological trauma that the miners and their families have endured for 40 years, but it would be a step in the right direction.
If the Orgeave miners can receive justice, then justice would be delivered for the whole of the working class, who are consistently degraded, demeaned, and portrayed negatively in public life. A national campaign focused on Orgreave could also open a wider national discussion about the mistreatment of miners throughout the year-long strike. After 40 years it’s time that these issues are properly addressed.
For those who want to know more about the Battle of Orgreave, the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign website provides plenty of resources, and also allows people to get involved in campaigning for an official inquiry. Also, the second episode of the Channel 4 documentary, Miner’s Strike 1984: The Battle for Britain, provides footage from the day and includes the testimonies of many miners. The episode is an accurate portrayal of the day, and it is worth watching.
