Strikes and Solidarity Coalfield Conflict in Britain, 1889–1966

In this important contribution to the study of industrial relations, Roy Church and Quentin Outram present research into the strike activity of British coalminers from the late nineteenth century to the mid-1960s. The authors consider not only the major national strikes and lock-outs which made the industry a byword for industrial militancy, but also the multitude of small-scale strikes which formed a routine part of British colliery lifes. Strikes and Solidarity, first published in 1998, is multi-disciplinary in approach and views coalfield conflict from the perspectives offered by sociologists, industrial relations specialists, and economists, as well as social and economic historians. Church and Outram have successfully blended quantitative and qualitative investigations to explain the long-standing issues presented by industrial relations in the coalfields.

List of figures and tables; Preface; List of abbreviations; 1. Interpreting coalfield conflict: focus and formulations; 2. Tradition and modernity: the mining industry 1889–1940; 3. Employers and workers: organizations and strategies; 4. Employers and workers: ideologies, attitudes and political orientations; 5. Configurations of strike activity; 6. Strike participation and solidarity before 1912; 7. Strikes, organization and consciousness in 1912 and after; 8. Conflictual context? The 'isolated mass' revisited; 9. Mining and modernity: size, sectionalism and solidarity; 10. The foundations of strike propensity; 11. Miners and management: agency and action; 12. Industrial relations and strikes after nationalization; 13. International perspectives; 14. Myths and realities: strikes, solidarity and 'militant miners'; General appendix.

In this important contribution to the study of industrial relations, first published in 1998, Roy Church and Quentin Outram combine qualitative and quantitative investigations to explain the strike activity of British coalminers.