The article
The year 1984 saw a year long battle between Margaret Thatcher's conservative government and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) over closing the unprofitable, subsided coal mines in the UK. It started on March, 5th with the Yorkshire Cortonwood pit miners walking out. They were soon joined by 187 000 British miners.
Both sides had been getting ready for the battle – the government by gathering stockpiles of coal for power stations; the union by making sure by the 1981 ballot that the strike had sufficient support from the miners in case pits were to be closed for reasons other than exhaustion.
Gradually, though, some rifts in the mining communities began to show and NUM, led by Arthur Scargill, kept organizing flying pickets to persuade the strikers to stay away from work. In some areas the situation became serious enough for the police to intervene. In June 1984, the strikers in Orgreave tried unsuccessfully to prevent coke being supplied to steel works, which resulted in a bloody incident, later referred to as the Battle of Orgreave.
Throughout months of the strike, the miners and their families' financial situation was becoming increasingly difficult, to the point where they had to rely on food parcels and soup kitchens. There was an attempt at a compromise between the Coal Board and NUM in September; however, Scargill refused to accept it.
After Christmas, more and more miners started going back to work and the strike was finally called off in March 1985. Thatcher's government won the battle and managed to finalize their pit closure programme.
Vocabulary:
- pit (n, countable) - a large, deep hole in the ground from which stones or minerals are dug out: a gravel/chalk/tar pit; chiefly Brit : a coal mine
- kindling (n, uncountable) - dry twigs, pieces of paper, etc., that burn easily and are used to start a fire: a pile of kindling
- stride (n, countable) - a long step, the distance covered by a long step: She crossed the room in only a few strides.; The company has matched its competitors stride for stride.; He was standing only a few strides away from me.
- hatchet (n, countable) - a small ax that has a short handle - bury the hatchet - to agree to stop arguing or fighting : to end a disagreement and become friendly: After all these years, they've finally buried the hatchet.
- stockpile (n, countable) - a large supply of something that is kept for future use: a stockpile of ammunition/weapons; a stockpile of medical supplies
- ransom (n, countable or uncountable) - money that is paid in order to free someone who has been captured or kidnapped [count]: The kidnappers demanded a ransom of one million dollars. [uncount] ▪ The family is willing to pay ransom for his release. — sometimes used figuratively (Brit): The boy used his bad temper to hold his mother to ransom, forcing her to buy him sweets .
- ballot (n, countable or uncountable) - a process that allows people to vote in secret so that other people cannot see their votes [count]: They cast their votes in a secret ballot. [uncount]: She was elected by secret ballot.
- colliery (n, countable, chiefly Brit) - a coal mine and the buildings that are near it: One of the large number of collieries in the district was called the diamond colliery.
- coke (n, uncountable) - a black material made from coal that is used as fuel for heating: Heating coke is an excellent fuel for the economical production of heat and the heating of utility water for households.
- trickle (n) – a slow, thin flow of water, a slow movement of people or things in small numbers or amounts: We heard the trickle of water from the roof.; A slow/steady trickle of customers came into the store throughout the day.
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