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British coal, the end of a mining industry

A move towards renewable energy has left collieries and their employees out in the cold.

Please Do NOt Use/ Lights go out on the British coal mining
The National Miners’ Memorial Garden opened in November 2015 on the site of the former Caphouse Colliery near Wakefield, in West Yorkshire. Researchers have complied lists highlighting more than 164,000 coal-mining deaths and serious injuries in the UK since the 1700s. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
By Rich Wiles
Published On 4 Jan 2016

Yorkshire, United Kingdom – Coal miners at Yorkshire’s Kellingley Colliery, the only remaining deep-pit coal mine in Britain, worked their last shift on Friday December 18, bringing to an end hundreds of years of underground coal mining in the UK. Thousands marched through the streets and held a rally at Kellingley Miners’ Welfare club to mark the end of the coal mining era.

Deep-pit coal mining employed more than half a million British workers in the middle of the 20th century while it was still the main source of energy produced within the country.

Pit closures through the 1960s and 1970s were followed by the infamous “Miners’ Strike”, which began in 1984 after Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative prime minister Margaret, announced the  closure of 20 pits.

A renowned “dirty fuel”, coal has fallen out of favour amid international trends towards renewable sources of energy.

Despite this, Britain still burns tens of millions of tonnes of coal each year, but its reliance on cheaper imported fuel has brought the industry to its knees.

Please Do NOt Use/ Lights go out on the British coal mining
Working as a safety officer in the coal mines for 35 years, David Halstead has witnessed the danger of mining on many occasions. 'I lost five friends at Oulton Main Colliery, and have seen 16 good men killed in total.'But I also loved the sense of community that the pits created. We had football teams, cricket teams, brass bands and the whole community revolved around the pits.' [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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Please Do NOt Use/ Lights go out on the British coal mining
After 26 years as a coal miner, Stephen Oxley was made redundant and began working as a tour guide at the National Mining Museum. 'Coal is yesterday’s fuel mined with yesterday’s technology. Money must now be spent on developing new technologies and creating new jobs for today’s youth.' [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
Owners of Kellingley Coillery, UK Coal, had initially proposed to keep the mine open until 2018, but the British government refused to provide the financial support that would have been needed. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
Russ Kear and Ian Cuniffe both lost their jobs at Kellingley in July. They say finding stable work is almost impossible for many ex-miners. 'A lot of the younger lads found work in the local power stations or steel works. The government has just announced the closure of coal-fired power stations and 900 job are to go at the steel works. How are people meant to support their families when they are living on zero hour contracts?' [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
In the town of Knottingley alongside Kellingley, the Kellingley Miners’ Welfare Club lies at the heart of the community. The club is locally known as ‘the Big K’, the same nickname used for the mine itself. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
Caroline Poland, the wife of an ex-miner, joined a march that was held in Knottingley to mark the end of deep-pit coal mining in the UK. 'We’re here to remember the struggles that we shared through the years as pits were being closed. This solidarity and comradeship has today been taken over by individualism.' [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
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Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
Seventy-year-old ex-miner Bryn Doel was among thousands of people who joined the march. 'I was involved in the 1972 strike, the 1974 strike and then again in 1984. The way Thatcher treated us was disgusting, but the Tories and Labour, they’re are all the same, none of them supported us.' [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
The Miner’s Strike of 1984-85 is often remembered as the most bitter industrial dispute in British history. More than 20,000 people were injured or admitted to hospital during the course of the miners’ revolt. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
Brass bands have always played a prominent role in mining culture. Most collieries had their own brass band and many have survived today even after the closure of the pits in which they were founded. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
Although coal is renowned as being a dirty fuel, the UK still burns tens of millions of tonnes each year, with the largest supplier being Russia. Ex-miner Phil Shaw say’s that during his regular fishing trips on the River Humber he watches ‘boat after boat filled with imported coal’ coming in to the UK through the port of Immingham. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
Thirty years after the end of the Miners’ Strike, there remains resentment towards people, known as ‘scabs’, who crossed picket lines and continued to work during the strike. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
People from across the north of England’s former mining communities joined the march in Nottingley. At the start of 2015, three deep-pit coal mines remained in production in the UK. A handful of opencast or surface mines still remain in production, mainly in Scotland. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
Even within former mining communities most people agree that the development and use of cleaner sources of energy is essential, but many are fearful that the regeneration of the communities may be a long and painful process. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]
Please Do Not Use/Lights go out on the British coal mining
With the move towards cleaner sources of energy well underway, the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change predict that by 2030, renewables will be by far the biggest source of electricity used in electricity generation. [Rich Wiles/Al Jazeera]