WV,KY mine strikes

[coalfire]

I just learned of the mine strike in the 80's in the U.K. the other day. I'm gonna try to research a little more to learn more about it. I figured I would share some of our experiences here in West Virginia. My best friend was involved in Massey Coal strike from 84 to 88. Yep, thats right 4 years on picket line. It was a small war in the mountains of WV. My Uncle was also involved and My dad to a degree at another Massey operation. My dad was laided off due to the fact he was a salaried employee. The operation he worked at shut down due to the strike and the Prep Plant torn down. The other operation the union caved in and the operation still runs to this day. In both places Massey brought in Mercenaries from South Africa and they had machine gun turrets on the silos. Our Coal mine strikes of the early 1900's was the setting of the only time that the U.S. government has went to war on its citizens for labor disputes. National Guard was brought in and even the Army Air Corp dropped bombs. O.k. I 'm done thanks for listening.

[John]

I missed this one, sorry Lonnie.
I was down under during the UK "big Strike" But I was in one in the Australian Coal industry. We used the term "out on the grass" down there and had a few weeks instigated by AI&S, a subsiduary of BHP Industries.
We were totally united, one out all out and brought the total state coal stocks to an embarrassed government owned electricity industry to just a bare couple of weeks.
We were ordered back to work by the NSW Coal Tribunal Judge, and my employer at the time was ordered to open the gates and resume production.
Another clause was an interim bonus scheme, which was introduced by the Electricity Commission of NSW for their mineworkers.
After we had been back at work for a few weeks, the tribunal handed down their decision, an extra weeks holiday leave, a huge pay rise, extra sick leave days, bonus, there were more but I forget now, we ended up with a great pay package.

If you read up, Britain was turned into a Police State during the year long miners strike. They never stood a chance, and it was over pit closures not pay and conditions!
If NACODS, the Deputies union had supported the strike, it would have been over in a few days. Without the Deputies, the mines could not have functioned on a care and maintenance system.
There was a lot of bitterness over some of the Nottinghamshire pits working and breaking the strike, but without the safety foremen, even they would have been brought to a standstill.

The strike was instigated by Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative government, it was planned a few years before they forced the National Union of Mineworkers to strike.
The NUM was the UK's strongest union, without coal, the power stations could not operate, so the country could be brought to it's knees.
I'll elaborate more another time. But google and do some surfing.