Why did Thatcher want to close the mines?

Thatcher’s strategy She believed that the excessive costs of increasingly inefficient collieries had to end in order to grow the economy. She planned to close inefficient pits and depend more on imported coal, oil, gas and nuclear.

Why did the miners strike in 1972?

The strike occurred because wage negotiations between the NUM and the National Coal Board of the United Kingdom had broken down. It was the first time since 1926 that British miners had officially gone on strike (although there had been unofficial strikes, as recently as 1969).

When did the last pit close?

January 26 2005 will go down in history as the day when the last pit in the north-east announced it was closing, in a flood of controversy.

Can you join a union if you work for a private company?

By law, any worker is allowed to join a trade union, and your employer can’t punish you for joining up. Equally, you don’t have to join a union at all if you don’t want to. You can join any union you’re eligible for – that usually means any union that represents your industry.

Are there any free trade unions?

The Free Trade Union, later known as the Free Trade League, was a British trade organisation extant between July 1903 and the 1970s. It was founded in opposition to the campaign for Imperial Preference which had been launched by Board of Trade chairman Joseph Chamberlain in May 1903.

What happened with the coal miners strike in England?

The UK miners’ strike of 1969 was an unofficial strike that involved 140 of the 307 collieries owned by the National Coal Board, including all collieries in the Yorkshire area. The NCB lost £15 million and 2.5 million tonnes of coal as a result of the strike.

Why did coal mining decline in the UK?

Reasons for the Decline in the UK Coal industry. From the 1960s, the UK discovered cheaper sources of energy, such as north sea gas and oil. Also the nuclear power industry provided a new source of energy. With new energy sources, we became less dependent on coal.