07 April 2024 , 19:00
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Keir Starmer has been urged to deliver justice to striking miners with pardons and compensation if he wins the keys to No10.
In a letter today union leaders call on the Labour leader to act within his "first days in office" if the Tories are ousted at the general election. It comes from the General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Chris Kitchen and the General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union Matt Wrack.
During the 1984-85 Miners' Strike, former Tory PM Margaret Thatcher "used the state to crush the miners, with brutal policing methods," they say. The confrontations led to over 11,000 arrests, thousands of injuries, and almost 1,000 people dismissed from their jobs.
They say: "On the 40th anniversary of the 1984-85 miners’ strike, Labour must commit to a programme of justice for the miners. This year's general election gives workers a historic opportunity to kick the Tories out of office. Should Labour win, we believe that you should announce a plan to pardon and compensate miners during your first few days in office."
Miners' Strike 1984 Cadley Hill taken June 15 1984 (Burton Mail)They note that ex-Labour PM Tony Blair quickly overturned the intelligence agency GCHQ's ban on union membership - imposed by Thatcher - after winning the 1997 general election. The unions leaders say: "As the next Labour Prime Minister, it is imperative that you follow suit, with the swift launch of a process to rectify another historic injustice stretching back to the Thatcher era."
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Comparing the situation to the Post Office Horizon scandal, they add: "Just like the sub-postmasters, persecuted miners had their lives ruined. There is, rightly, crossparty support for using the powers of parliament to quash the sub-postmasters’ convictions and ensure that they are compensated.
"The next Labour government must do the same for the miners, by using the powers of parliament to deliver justice and compensation for miners and their surviving relatives." The FBU and NUM bosses say the commitment should be included in Labour's general election manifesto - a document currently being drawn up.
In 2022 the Scottish Parliament passed the Miners' Strike Pardon Bill - pardoning those who were convicted of offences on the picket line in the 1980s. But the Scottish Government urged the UK Government at the time to consider a public inquiry and the payment of compensation to former miners. The Labour Party has been contacted for comment.