Coalfield JusticeThe 1984-85 Miners' Strike in Scotland
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About this book
Discover how oral histories helped achieve justice for Scottish miners victimised during the 1984-85 strike
- A novel analysis of the 1984-85 miners’ strike, examining the distinct injustices encountered by strikers in Scotland, who were twice as likely to be arrested as strikers in England and Wales, and three times as likely to be sacked
- Organised around the oral history testimonies of 30 former strikers and family members, mostly recorded during the pardons campaign in 2021-22, examining in detail the injustices encountered by strikers on picket lines and in the communities which they were defending in 1984-85
- Examines the relationship between history and policy in devolved Scotland, with detailed analysis of the former strikers’ campaign for restorative justice, culminating in the Scottish Parliament’s collective and posthumous pardon for those who acquired public-order convictions during the strike
- Written from within the campaign by a leading authority on the strike in Scotland, whose previous publications and evidence to the Scottish government and MSPs based on the oral history testimonies examined in this book, helped secured the collective and posthumous pardon
In June 2022, former miners secured through the Scottish Parliament a collective pardon for convictions acquired during the 1984-85 miners’ strike. The Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Act recognised the distinct injustices facing Scottish strikers: 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 oral history testimonies from former strikers and family members. They remembered the injustices of arrest, conviction and employment dismissal. They emphasised how the National Coal Board, police and courts operated as confederates of Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government, silencing union voice and closing pits deemed unprofitable, to maximise returns from intended privatisation.
These testimonies were used in the successful campaign which pushed the Scottish government to provide the broad-based collective and posthumous pardon that was won in Parliament in 2022.
Reviews
reminds me not only of the tough times but of the courage and resilience of the mining communities, and which [Phillips] documents so clearly and eloquently
This is a faithful history of the miners’ battle for justice: inevitably emotional but always authoritative, built on a foundation of personal testimonies covering the 1960’s to the 2020’s. It is an outstanding and fitting history on the fortieth anniversary of the strike, of a class and a community, of women and men, whose spirit remains unbroken, and whose fight for compensation, and so justice, carries on.
It would be hard to conceive of a better book about the miners’ strike in Scotland. The research is impeccable, and the complex narrative of events presented in a clear and accessible manner... Professor Phillips deserves the Mick McGahey Memorial Medal for this seminal contribution to our labour history.
An impeccably researched, clear-eyed, powerful and moving account of the campaign to right the injustices suffered by Scottish miners, their families and communities, during and after the Great Strike, in which Jim Phillips is both a historian and a historical actor.
Jim is a friend as well as a historian of veteran miners and their families. His book tells our stories about our strike for our jobs, communities and futures. It explains how we won the Pardon from the Scottish Parliament for our public order convictions during the strike, and why we’re going to keep fighting for financial compensation.
very human, sometimes funny and most of all sincere. The book is written not by an academic who wants to be considered as a "miners friend" but by a man who truly cares about his fellow workers and the wellbeing of communities.
[Jim’s] involvement with the miners and their struggle for justice after the way they were victimised after the Strike has struck a deep chord of respect in the former mining areas, and on behalf of all miners I say this to Jim yer no jaist a frien yer a guid frien. Many many thanks our appreciation goes where no words can.
A monument to the integrity, courage and perseverance of Scotland’s striking miners, this is engaged scholarship at its best.
Coalfield Justice is an important insider account. It tells the story of a successful decades-long campaign by Scottish miners, their families, trade union and political supporters against unjust convictions incurred during the 1984-5 strike.
Jim Phillips is the pre-eminent historian of modern Scottish coalmining. In this book he provides a distinctive account of the 1984/5 miners’ strike in Scotland, by combining his deep historical understanding with an impassioned account of how the injustices meted out in the strike were eventually redressed. The result is a significant contribution to our understanding not only of the strike, but also the complexities of the legal and political system in contemporary Scotland.
Jim Phillips’ book is an essential account of the campaign for justice in the Scottish coalfields since the 1984-5 strike. It is a model of politically engaged history, providing an essential resource for those miners that are still denied justice, but also in the broader struggle for economic security and industrial democracy.
an excellent volume
the richness and uniqueness of this study come from the many interviews with the mine workers and their supporters... Overall, Phillips provides a nuanced view of the miners' strike, demonstrating the injustice that took place during it.
Always an impressively clear writer, Phillips has produced a highly engaging and accessible piece of work that is deeply researched but lightly referenced, with a greater emphasis on personal stories. The other major reason to revisit this terrain is the independent review commissioned by the Scottish government in 2018 into policing of the dispute, and the resulting legislation that pardoned many miners for criminal convictions received during the strike. Phillips was himself a participant in this process, which the book covers in depth. Coalfield Justice is therefore a compelling work of history, but also an important exploration of historians’ role in campaigns for social justice.
Written by an eminent expert on Scottish labour history and the history of deindustrialisation, Coalfield Justice combines astute scholarship with deep political engagement. [The book] deserves a wide readership.
Table of contents
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
List of Tables
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Chapter 1. A just transition before the strike
Chapter 2. A legitimate and lawful strike
Chapter 3. Criminalising the strikers
Chapter 4. The scale of injustice
Chapter 5. Picket-line injustice
Chapter 6. Injustice in communities
Chapter 7. After the strike
Chapter 8. Justice
Conclusion
Interviews
References