3. Women in industrial disputes of the coal industry before 1984/85
3.2 The Miners' Lock-Out of 1926
3.3 Women's fight for pit-head baths
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The image of the women in mining communities given so far (the oppressed, passive, and submissive housewife) could lead to the assumption that women never took part in industrial disputes. Only in recent years historians proved this widely spread assumption wrong: Women always took part, either actively or in support of their husbands. "The actions of male workers to get better pay or conditions, or just to keep their jobs, have always been made possible by women taking care of everything else whilst the men were out organising." (Lambeth Women's . . . : 32). Publicly, however, their activities were hardly noticed and only a small number of documents is available. Angela V. John studied some of them. Here are some examples:
"In 1844, women resisted evictions and scabs in the north-east. Disputes in the 1860s saw Lancashire women addressing public meetings and collecting funds. Whilst in Wales they attacked 'blacklegs' with stones, saucepans and frying pans - many were arrested. In 1904, during a stoppage at Maesteg, Glamorgan, over the employment of non-unionists, women exerted pressure on landladies, issuing eviction notices to all non-Federation lodgers." (A. John, 1986: 89).
Women not only supported the miners, they also fought for themselves - and with good reasons: "'Nearly every convenience which the nature of the miners' occupation demanded had to be furnished and maintained by the drudgery of the womenfolk. '" (R. Page Arnot; quoted in B. Campbell, 1984 b: 103).
An example is the dispute in South Wales in 1909-10:
"A new eight-hour-day law had prompted mine owners to set up multiple work shifts. One of the leading causes of the strike was that housewives had to prepare meals at all hours of the day, because sons and husbands rarely managed to work the same shift. Women took an unusually prominent role in the strike, stoning shops and policemen." (M. Vincinus: 107).
Two out of many of womens's activities before 1984/85 will be described below.
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After the end of the 1926 General Strike the miners stayed out for another seven months. Women in mining communities became active on a local as well as on a national and international scale.
"Women's sections, and a national Women's Committee, operated throughout the strike, and their main efforts were devoted to fund-raising and distribution of food and clothing. An account of their work was published in 1927 called 'Women and the Miners' Lockout', which summarises their role as that of 'an industrial Red Cross'. Fund-raising appeals were published in the press, and money was raised by demonstrations. Selling miners' lamps was a key-method of fund-raising, and this was done on an international scale. [. . . ] There were specific arrangements for providing food for pregnant and nursing mothers, and a number of miners' children were sent on 'pilgrimages' to stay with sympathisers elsewhere during the strike." (Women fight for pits: 30).
Bella Jolly was one of the women who were active in 1926 in Stanley, County Durham. She reported of money and clothes collections, free meals for the children, etc. "'To help all relief cases we used to have bands parading and have collections [. . . ]. We used to meet twice a week and dole out these little bits of collection. '" (M. Callcott, 1985: 41).
Elizabeth Andrews remembers the activities of the women's organisation in Wales: "During all these months our people never lost hope. They kept busy with soup kitchens, concerts, jazz bands, competitive meetings, and many other activities." (E. Andrews: 25-26). The women formed sewing committees and altered old clothes, food was distributed to people in need. Parcels came from all over the world. Women even organized public relations: "Mrs. Beatrice Green, of Abertillery, [. . . ] Mrs. Johnna James, Tonypandy, and Mrs. Herman, Pentre, also addressed meetings in London. The three were miner's wives and good speakers." (E. Andrews: 25). It was the aim of these activities to support the miners in their fight or as Mrs Andrews put it: "the women stood loyally by their menfolk in their struggle for higher pay, shorter hours and better conditions." (E. Andrews: 4). Mrs Jolly saw herself and the women's support movement as the heart of the entire labour movement: "'If the Labour movement has to go down in history, one of its finest achievements is how the women stood by their men in 1926, and I really believe that. '" (M. Callcott, 1985: 42).
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One of coal-mining's main characteristics is the dirt it produces. At the end of their shifts the miners are covered with coal dust, their clothes are dirty and often wet. Daily the women had to prepare a hot bath for the miners which could be rather difficult in times when there were no bathrooms in people's houses. At the beginning of the twentieth century the demand for pit-head baths came up and the Coal Mines Act from 1911 made the mine owners build them - if two third of the miners voted for them! This they rarely did despite the great advantages pit-head baths would have brought them. The miners' lack of commitment for the women's cause "can be treated as a classic case of patriarchal priorities in class struggle." (B. Campbell, 1984 b: 106). The miners wanted to keep their influence and power over the women, they wanted to further control women's labour and time.
Although women were successful in the end it took a long time until pit-head baths were built at every colliery: In the North East less than half of the collieries had pit-head baths when the coal industry was nationalized in 1947. Clubs and institutes however existed almost in every mining community(cf. G. L. Atkinson: 15/ B. Campbell, 1984 b: 104).
A Durham guildswoman explained the improvements by the pit-head baths: "My home life has been greatly improved by the inception of the baths, a cleanliness which is very noticeable as compared with the time prior to the building of the baths." (Pit-Head Baths: 139). Less work and more spare time were the consequences but women did not always use this time for themselves: "More attention can be paid by the housewife in preparing the table for meals for the workers after coming home from the baths." (Pit-Head Baths: 139).
