That the Parliament notes that 12 March 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the official start of the 1984-85 miners’ strike; considers that this strike was, without parallel, the most significant industrial dispute since the 1926 general strike; believes that miners took action in defence of jobs, communities and a very way of life; considers that the full force of the state was deployed against the miners and their trade union, the National Union of Mineworkers, but that they stood steadfast for a full year; believes that the strike could not have endured without public support, including from women’s groups, the lesbian and gay community, trade unions and workers across the world; deplores what it sees as the injustices towards miners and their communities during and since the strike; notes the belief that there is continuing need for investment in mining communities, and further notes the call for a public inquiry into the policing of the strike.
Supported by:
Karen Adam, Clare Adamson, Alasdair Allan, Colin Beattie, Ariane Burgess, Stephanie Callaghan, Foysol Choudhury, Jackie Dunbar, Pam Duncan-Glancy, Annabelle Ewing, Christine Grahame, Bill Kidd, Monica Lennon, Fulton MacGregor, Ben Macpherson, Ivan McKee, Stuart McMillan, Carol Mochan, Audrey Nicoll, Alex Rowley, Colin Smyth, Paul Sweeney, David Torrance, Evelyn Tweed, Elena Whitham