A fresh insight into the stories and legacy of Scotland's 1984-85 coal miners’ strike and injustices has been shared by the University of Glasgow based historian who helped bring about the 2022 Pardons Act.

Veteran miners in Scotland won a collective pardon from the Scottish Parliament for convictions acquired during the 1984-85 miners’ strike. The 2022 Pardons Act recognised the distinct injustices facing Scottish strikers - who were twice as likely to be arrested as those in England and Wales, and three times as likely to be sacked.

Now these stories have been shared by Jim Phillips, Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Glasgow, in Coalfield Justice. The 1984-85 Miners’ Strike in Scotland. Organised around the testimonies of 30 former strikers and family members, this new book examines the injustices which they experienced on picket lines and in their own communities.

Jim Phillips said: “The miners’ strike was the ultimate in unjust transitions. The Conservative government pursued its strategy of privatisation and anti-trade unionism covertly, with no attempt to offset the effects of pit closures through alternative employment in mining communities. The veteran miners and family members interviewed in my book explain how strikers in Scotland were twice as likely to be arrested and three times as likely to be sacked by their employer, the National Coal Board, as strikers in England and Wales.”

The book provides an insider account of the campaign for restorative justice, including the still unrealised goal of financial compensation. The sacked men lost pension entitlements and redundancy payments when the pits closed shortly after the strike, and their criminal convictions were often a barrier to jobs in other industries and services.

The book shows that the difficult economic and social history of the coalfields after the strike was a further major injustice. Professor Phillips nevertheless presents a positive interpretation of the strike’s legacy. Veteran strikers and family members often found employment in public service: in transport, education, health and social care. They helped mining communities in Scotland to remain resilient and cohesive, with a continued faith in the value of collective organisation and action. The Pardons Act was vindication of this faith.

Watty Watson of Ballingry in Fife, the youngest Scottish miner sacked during the strike, said: ‘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.”

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First published: 26 September 2024

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