Damaged by Democracy : The National Union of Mineworkers and the 1984-85 Strike

This paper explores the democratic tensions within the National Union of Mineworkers that split the union during the 1984-85 strike over mine closures. In seeking to understand the conflict over the failure to hold a national ballot to validate this yearlong strike, the paper explores the development of this federally structured trade union and examines previous conflicts in which the federated nature of the union created local, rather than national, solidarities.