Broken Heads and Unbroken Spirits: 40 Years After the British Miners’ Strike

On this episode of Labor History Today, we mark the 40th anniversary of the end of one of the most significant labor struggles of the 20th century: the 1984–85 British Miners’ Strike. Former miner and strike veteran John Dunn shares his harrowing personal account of the violence, repression, and community solidarity that defined the year-long battle between the National Union of Mineworkers and Margaret Thatcher’s government. Dunn’s story, told in conversation with Heartland Labor Forum host Tino Scalici, brings to life the cost of resistance, the brutality of the state, and the enduring legacy of working-class struggle.
We also feature labor music from the Oyster Band, with “Coal Not Dole,” a poem by Kay Sutcliffe set to song, and Labor History in Two on the Haymarket Affair.

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Edited/produced by Chris Garlock and Patrick Dixon; social media guru: Harold Phillips