The 1984-1985 UK Miners’ Strike and the Rise of Social Movement Unionism

The research that has looked at the 1984-1985 UK miners’ strike has, correctly and from its early days, emphasised the role played by women’s groups during the strike, the support of the international labour movement and the establishment of solidarity networks. The 1984-1985 Great UK Miners’ Strike can therefore be seen as a key stage in the emergence in the UK of “social movement unionism”, as one possible trade-union agenda among a larger repertoire of trade-union agendas that includes the political alliance with the Labour Party and the more autonomous logic of class struggle. This article reviews the existing literature on the Great Miners’ Strike, discusses the strike in relation to the rise of social movement unionism in the United Kingdom starting in the 1970s and studies the agenda of social movement unionism in relation to recent debates on trade-union renewal in the United Kingdom.