1972 United Kingdom miners' strike

1972 UK Miners' Strike
1972 UK Miners' Strike
Part of UK miners' strikes
Date	9 January 1972 – 28 February 1972
Location	Nationwide
Goals	Increased pay for miners
Methods	Strike action, including flying pickets ; Civil disobedience
Resulted in	Pay increase for miners; Battle of Saltley Gate; State of emergency (declared 9 February 1972); Creation of COBR;
Parties
National Union of Mineworkers	British Government represented by the National Coal Board
Lead figures
	Joe Gormley; Arthur Scargill; Sam Bullough; Edward Heath; Derek Ezra;
Casualties and losses
15 injured + 56 arrested (Battle of Saltley Gate) ; 1 death	17 police officers injured (Battle of Saltley Gate)

The 1972 United Kingdom miners' strike was a major dispute over pay between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Conservative Edward Heath government of the United Kingdom. Miners' wages had not kept pace with those of other industrial workers since 1960. The strike began on 9 January 1972 and ended on 28 February 1972, when the miners returned to work. The strike was called by the National Executive Committee of the NUM and ended when the miners accepted an improved pay offer in a ballot. It was the first time since 1926 that British miners had been on official strike, but there had been a widespread unofficial strike in 1969.