Moving to a Green Economy? The Story of an 'Unjust' Transition in the UK

Abstract

Moving to a Green Economy?The Story of an 'Unjust' Transition in the UK Huw Beynon (bio) and Ray Hudson (bio) Coal played a central part in the discussions at the COP26 conference on climate change held in Glasgow in 2021. Here it was established as the most deadly of the carbon fuels with the future of the planet depending upon its eradication. This was a cause some concern for the leaders of China and India and also for some of the smaller economies strongly linked to the coal expert trade, including Colombia and Australia. It was in this context that considerable thought was given to the need to carefully consider the transition from coal and the need for this to be done in a just manner. Prime Minister Johnson had contributed to this debate by asserting that the UK led the way in this regard. In his view Mrs Thatcher, in her defeat of the National Union of Mineworkers and the early closure of the industry that followed, had given Britain a head start in moving towards a green economy. This, however, was no recipe for others to follow. It was in fact the classic case of an unjust transition, which has had serious, and long-term deleterious effects upon the country's economy and society. It shows others what not to do and, though obtusely, this negative exemplar provides elements for a more positive framework of future policy. The Decline of Coal The famous Labour Party politician Aneurin Bevan once described Britain as the 'island built on coal'. In no other capitalist economy was coal mining so dominant or so vital to all aspects of economic and social life (Britain was virtually a single fuel economy until the middle of the 1950s). In 1920 the industry employed 1.92 million workers and the Miners Federation of Great Britain was by far the largest association of miners in the world. This was the high point of an industry that became known as 'King Coal'. Since then, it has been in decline, gradual at first–there were 700,000 miners when the industry was nationalised in 1947–but then rapidly in two extraordinary periods of contraction. We discuss these fully in our book The Shadow of the Mine. The nationalisation of coal was a long-term aspiration of the miners' union and state ownership consolidated the presence of the newly established National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) within the consultation and conciliation structures of the National Coal Board (NCB). From the beginning the union's deep commitment to the industry's success underpinned a highly cooperative relationship with management. However, this was put under strain when the availability of cheap oil from the Middle East saw governments pressing for a severe reduction in coal output. As a result, the numbers employed by the NCB reduced from 665.000 in 1959 to 290.000 in 1970. The fact that this took place in a period of economic boom and social change eased the many difficulties encountered by miners and their families. Many left, looking for opportunities in the new industries, some moved to the old coalfields by government directive. Redundancy payments were introduced by the new Labour government in 1964 which also eased the transition, as did support with the costs of moving, given to miners who wished to remain in the industry by working in another area. However, the overall policy framework was de rigeur, pushed forward by government at a faster pace than was wanted by the trade unions or the management of the industry. Undoubtedly its success owed much to the general macro-economic circumstances, and the positive sense of social change that encouraged many younger men to look for pastures new. Nevertheless, and in spite of all these positive aspects, these closures left their scars. It damaged belief in the progressive nature of nationalisation and paved the way for a new militancy within the NUM. It also affected the coalfield areas disrupting the post-war pattern of full employment, especially in Wales and the North of England where unemployment levels rose and never fully recovered. Generally, it left some feeling that they had been bullied and pushed too...