5. Deal or No Deal Strike

There are efforts behind the scenes to get a deal between the National Union of Mineworkers and the Coal Board to bring the strike to an end. It’s a dark time for Labour leader Neil Kinnock as he tries to persuade both sides to agree on how proposed pit closures should be assessed. He is appalled at Arthur Scargill’s apparent refusal to negotiate.
Meanwhile, the law is being used to weaken the NUM’s ability to run the strike – injunctions are brought by working miners who say the dispute is unofficial because there has not been a ballot. Neil Kinnock is clear that the lack of a ballot is the union’s Achilles heel. But that is not what grassroots members in South Wales say: they remain loyal to their leader Arthur Scargill, who, as they see it, is defending their communities.
David Hunt MP gets a phone call from his Prime Minister – and within hours he goes on television as the new Minister for Coal. He promises there will be no power cuts on his watch.
And there is what looks like some good news: the colliery overseers’ union NACODs has voted to strike which would bring the whole industry to its knees within days. But that is another false dawn for the NUM.
Presenter: Jonny Owen
Series Producer: Clare Hudson
Executive Producer: Steve Austins
Assistant Producer: Ffion Clarke
Development Producer: Branwen Davies
Sound Designer: Meic Parry
Sound Editor: Adam Whalley
Composer: Richard Llewellyn
Series Consultant: Dr Ben Curtis
Commissioning Editor: Bridget Curnow