Historical Studies in Industrial Relations
‘Going for the Jugular’: The Steelworkers’ Banner and the 1980 National Steelworkers’ Strike in Britain
Abstract
Across a thirteen-week period from January to April 1980, a national steelworkers’ strike took place in Britain. Ostensibly a pay dispute between the steel unions and the nationalized British Steel Corporation (BSC), the strike brought into focus some of the deeper problems the industry faced. As articulated by successive governments, the media, BSC, and even elements within the leadership of the steel unions themselves, these problems were almost wholly a result of poor productivity and over-staffing in the industry. However, during the strike the main steelworkers’ union, the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, produced a journal, the