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Looking Back Special: Miners' strike 1984-85
In the spring of 1984 East Lothian's mining families were trying to come to grips with a dispute which was to split families and change industrial relations in this country forever. The news reports are from our files.
SEVENTEEN SACKED BY NCB
ALL 17 East Lothian men sacked by the National Coal Board during the year long strike were convicted of charges of breach of the peace.
Their penalties in court ranged from an admonition to a fine of 150. They were:
David Costello, Prestonpans (16 years' service), fined 125.
Walter Stevenson, Prestonpans (8 years), 70.
Billy Davidson, Prestonpans (11 years), 50.
Stuart Shepherd, Prestonpans (7 years), 30.
Victor Shelly, Prestonpans (7 years), 100.
George Fraser, Prestonpans (10 years), 100.
T Clelland, Prestonpans (8 years), 100.
Derek McLeod, Prestonpans (8 years), 50.
William Cockburn, Tranent (16 years), 50.
John Glen, Musselburgh (34 years), admonished.
Kenneth Taylor, Tranent (11 years), 60.
David Gordon, Ormiston (12 years), 150.
Dean Whyte, Tranent (6 years), 125.
Pat Quinn, Tranent (9 years), 75.
Alex Bolton, Musselburgh (18 years), 100.
Graham D'Arcy, Ormiston (13 years), 100.
B Moohan, Musselburgh (8 years), 100.
THE YEAR OF THE STRIKE
A YEAR of sacrifice, bitterness and despair for Lothian's miners began on Monday March 12, 1984, when mass pickets prevented any working at Bilston Glen and Monktonhall collieries.
The start of the dispute over pit closures and job losses had begun — but it also signalled the start of some of the ugliest scenes at Lothian's pits. Tempers flared as 370 men tried to cross the picket line to clock on the morning shift.
Flying pickets from other pits turned up in force and so began the first ugly scuffles as police and miners clashed.
Miners and NUM officials met at the Woodburn Community Centre, Dalkeith, to discuss the strike, but the meeting was suspended after clashes between officials, who ordered support for the strike, and miners demanding a ballot.
Advice
The following week a lone miner returned to Bilston Glen — amidst the fury of picket line hatred.
Over March, April and May, the message was of support and consolidation.
East Lothian's 1000 striking miners were given the backing of the district council who set up special advice centres to help with housing finance problems.
Most miners' clubs had set up strike centres and "soup kitchens" were set up to feed first the children — but eventually the strikers themselves.
The Blinkbonny private mine company at Gorebridge also came out on strike.
East Lothian's coal merchants revealed that stocks were almost exhausted and local MP Mr John Home Robertson accused the NCB of restricting the supply of coal to pensioners and young families.
In April came one of the most disturbing incidents of the strike when Bilston Glen miner Abraham Moffat (53), the son of a former Scots miners leader, nailed himself to the floor of his Dalkeith home and refused treatment until he had spoken to NUM vice-president Mick McGahey.
In May, Prestonpans miners were arrested outside the Hunterston iron ore terminal as mounted police rode into pickets.
Backing
The miners accused the police of trying to run them down but the police claimed their actions prevented someone from dying under the wheels of a lorry.
East Lothian Constituency Labour Party gave their full backing to the miners and John Home Robertson MP accused the Government of daylight robbery, for withholding strikers' cash.
In June, the NCB called for a return of safety cover to Bilston Glen because of fears of damage to the pit.
As the strike went into its 15th week, half the central strike committee were arrested. They were some of the 17 men arrested by police at Bilston Glen as 200 pickets turned up following rumours that men were returning to work.
Flying pickets from Durham added to the picket line, and another 79 pickets were arrested at the start of another week of trouble.
The following week the NCB announced that coal was being produced — news which only heightened the tension outside the gates. Bilston Glen was sealed off during shift times.
Rumours circulated that Monktonhall, employing 700 East Lothian men, was to be phased out, according to alleged secret NCB documents.
Meanwhile, flooding was reported to have occurred at the pit.
Two East Lothian councillors found themselves at the centre of a storm.
Monktonhall pit deputy and Tranent North district councillor Tom Ferguson offered to quit after a picket line row with NUM members. The local Labour Party refused the resignation and the matter was resolved.
Destroying
Meanwhile, Regional Councillor David Thomson faced disciplinary action after he voted against Tory colleagues to accept a 10,000 grant to miners' wives.
The three-week lull of the holiday period in July was smashed when hundreds of pickets massed outside the two pits. Stone throwing was the latest cause for concern, destroying canteen windows. Rows of barbed wire were placed all around "Fortress Bilston."
Tranent miner Philip Inverarity made national news as the miners picketed outside his home. Police gave him an escort to Bilston Glen, clear of the 50 pickets. East Lothian Labour Party later called for a probe into the arrest of some 40 miners at the scene.
August heralded a visit from miners' president Arthur Scargill when he addressed a rally in Midlothian.
Bilston Glen branch secretary Jack Aitchison was sacked over the famous "white line" controversy at Bilston.
East Lothian District Council pledged a donation of 5,000 to a relief fund for striking miners and their families. Money also comes in from youngters in Rosignano, Italy.
Families
In September, three working miners — part of the Bilston Glen Working Miners' Association — try to force a pithead ballot, but they lost their interim interdict application at the courts.
John Home Robertson made a plea for the public to support the miners and their families to the end.
A row broke out at the official opening of the Lady Victoria and Prestongrange mining museum. The NUM refused to hand over the Lady Victoria branch banner and two Midlothian district councillors, Tam Darby and Mike Moore, walked out of the reception because of NCB deputy chairman James Cowan's presence.
Around 400 people took part in a march and rally in support of the strike. Leading the march were former Labour Party chairman Sam McCluskie and Alex Kitson, with John Home Robertson and the NUM's Eric Clarke.
In October, it was revealed that fines imposed on Lothian miners soared past the 7000 mark and 19 men — including four officials — were sacked.
One of these was Monktonhall delegate and chairman of the central strike committee David Hamilton. He was later charged with the assault of a Dalkeith man but is refused bail.
Petitions for his release and appeal to Lord Justice Clerk Wheatley fell on deaf ears and Hamilton was remanded. Local miners claimed it was a ploy to stop his influence in the strike.
Imprisoned
The "numbers game" continued with the NCB claiming a drift back to work, but the union bitterly disputed the figures.
In November the NCB claimed that half the workforce at Bilston Glen were back. "Rubbish," said the union.
About 400 people attended a rally in Loanhead in support of imprisoned strike leader David Hamilton.
A coach taking men to Bilston Glen was stoned as it collected miners in Tranent.
Walter Thomson quit Prestonpans Community Council over a 50 donation to the miners.
John Home Robertson slammed the NCB for not accepting doctors' certificates as proof of urgent need for coal supplies.
East Lothian Constituency Labour Party continued their full support for the miners.
Concessionary
In December David Hamilton was cleared of the assault charge. He claims it was a "stitch up" to keep him out of the way during a delicate period in the dispute.
East Lothian Council voted to give a further 5000 to the miners' relief fund — despite the objections from five Tory councillors.
A row broke out over concessionary coal. The union claimed it was going to "scab" miners instead of pensioners and needy families.
John Russell, chairman of the Prestonpans strike centre, was arrested outside the Blindwells opencast site and John Home Robertson called for an explanation to this and the police operation.
At Christmas, the mining community came together to give children the best possible festive period.
In January, David Hamilton said he was disappointed by a letter from a bank which brought fears of miners being pressured back to work, in order to clear debts.
A Monktonhall miner who was allegedly dismissed for a picket line offence then reinstated aroused the anger of the central strike committee, who claimed the NCB were "looking after their own."
Returning
The NCB ended all doubts about the future of Monktonhall by saying the pit would be producing coal into the 21st century and beyond. A drive to recruit 250 young men as miners was announced as part of the Board's forward planning policy. Later it was revealed that 400 applications had been received.
In March the union voted narrowly in favour of returning to work, but the Scottish pit delegates voted against a return, because of the NCB's decision to refuse an amnesty for sacked miners.
Two days later, the delegates reversed their decision — and the strike was over.
THE STRIKE IS OVER
BLOODIED but unbowed, East Lothian miners returned to work on March 7, 1985.
"We have not lost the strike," maintained Mr Stewart Crosby, chairman of Tranent strike committee.
"The Government can't claim to have won it by starving men back to work," he added.
Mr Crosby said the men would rather have returned with a negotiated settlement. The fact there was none was something the Coal Board would regret.
"The Board are being very stupid. Along with the Government they tried to break up the union. It is something they will regret.
"We are going back to continue the fight inside the collieries and to get the men who have been sacked reinstated."
He accused Scottish area director Albert Wheeler of depriving men of their livelihoods for offences which were very minor.
"Most of the men have been sacked for obstructing the police, often on picket lines miles away from the collieries at which they work."
Of Tranent and district's 310 miners, about 80 per cent remained on strike throughout the past year.
In Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton, only 40 men out of 206 returned to work during the year-long struggle.
Strike committee chairman Mr Johnny Russell admitted that the union's options had been running out.
Mr Duncan Fleming, treasurer of Elphinstone strike committee, said a number of the 20 miners from the village were starved back to work although they remained loyal to the union.
CHECK OUR MONTHLY LOOKING BACK ARTICLES TO FIND MORE DETAILS OF THE STRIKE
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