Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill (born 11 January 1938) is a British trade unionist who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) from 1982 to 2002. He is best known for leading the UK miners' strike (1984–85), a major event in the history of the British labour movement.
Arthur Scargill | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Socialist Labour Party | |
| Assumed office 24 June 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| President of the National Union of Mineworkers | |
| In office 1982–2002 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Gormley |
| Succeeded by | Ian Lavery |
| President of the Yorkshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers | |
| In office 1974–1981 | |
| Preceded by | Sam Bullough |
| Succeeded by | Jack Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 January 1938 Worsbrough Dale, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Political party | Socialist Labour Party (1996–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Labour Party (1962–1996) |
| Spouse | |
Joining the NUM at the age of 19 in 1957, Scargill was one of its leading activists by the late 1960s. He led an unofficial strike in 1969, and played a key organising role during the strikes of 1972 and 1974, the latter of which played a part in the downfall of Edward Heath's Conservative government.
Thereafter Scargill led the NUM through the 1984–1985 miners' strike. It turned into a confrontation with the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher in which the miners' union was defeated. Initially a Young Communist League member, then a Labour Party member, Scargill is now leader of the Socialist Labour Party (SLP), founded by him in 1996.