“It Was the Women Who Kept It On”: The 1984–85 National Union of Mineworkers Strike in Wales

Authors

• Brett Bodily, Brigham Young University - Provo

Keywords

1984 UK miners' strike, women's grassroots activism, South Wales mining communities

Abstract

On March 3rd, 1984, more than 140,000 miners, all members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) walked out on strike in protest of proposed colliery, or “pit” closures. Years of disputes culminated in a major showdown between the largest labor union in the United Kingdom and a resurgent national conservatism led by Margaret Thatcher— leader of the Tory party. The communities built around coal mining recognized the Tory pit closure plan for what it was—an existential threat to their way of life. Women within these communities rose to the occasion and took on leadership and organizational responsibilities, many for the first time. They ran support groups, distributed donations, and coordinated fundraising efforts on behalf of their neighborhoods. Though the connection between women and the labor movement in Wales had existed for over a century, the women’s involvement in 1984 differed from their predecessors in meaningful ways. The activism of these women focused more on what they could do for their locality rather than national issues or Labor politics. This focus on grassroots initiatives and the immediate, practical needs of sustaining their villages allowed South Wales to keep the strike going much longer than expected. In fact, the impact of these women-led initiatives was so great that Hywel Francis, a contemporary historian, stated that the strike was realistically broken in December of 1984, but that “it was the women who kept it on” until May of 1985.

Recommended Citation

Bodily, Brett (2025) "“It Was the Women Who Kept It On”: The 1984–85 National Union of Mineworkers Strike in Wales," The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing: Vol. 54: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thetean/vol54/iss1/4