Joe Gormley
Encyclopedia
Joseph Gormley, Baron Gormley, OBE
(5 July 1917 – 27 May 1993) was President of the National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain) from 1971 to 1982, and a Labour peer.
Gormley was born in Ashton-in-Makerfield
, Lancashire in 1917, one of seven children, and became a miner at the age of fourteen. He was an active trade union
official and became a committee member of National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in 1957. He served as general secretary of the North West
region (comprising Lancashire
and Cumberland
) from April 1961, and joined the national executive in 1963. He was a lifelong fan of Wigan Rugby League Football Club
.
Only two years later, NUM members voted again for to strike and stopped work on 4 February 1974. Prime Minister Edward Heath
called a snap election on this issue, asking the public to decide "Who governs Britain?". Gormley tried to persuade the National Executive Conference to postpone the strike until after any election, but this advice was not followed; the strike went ahead. After the election replaced the Tories with a Labour government, the union's demands were met. The new National Coal Board
"Plan for Coal" launched that year was extremely ambitious in its scope of expansion of the coal mining industry.
threatened to break with the plan and close 23 pits. When a national strike was threatened, Thatcher backed down; many miners went on unofficial strike in the year, but Gormley rejected calls for a national strike. He left his post in 1982 and was replaced by the more left-wing Arthur Scargill
. In 1982 his last-minute appeal got miners to accept a Government offer of a 9.3 percent raise, rejecting Scargill's call for a strike authorisation. One of Gormley's long-term legacies which affected the 1984-85 strike was his role in the wage reforms of 1977. The reforms paid miners a wage proportionate to the output of their region. This gave the Nottinghamshire miners the highest wages of all and they were very reluctant to go on strike in 1984, when none of their pits was under threat and they had high wages to lose. Another key matter was that two ballots of the NUM membership had rejected these reforms, and Gormley responded by declaring productivity schemes now to be for the regional committees to decide, with or without a regional ballot. When this was challenged in the High Court as a violation of union rules, the court upheld Gormley's decision. This confusion over when the NUM needed to hold a ballot became of huge importance during the 1984-5 strike, when Scargill tried to mimic Gormley's methods and make a national strike into something on which regional committees could decide.
He was made a life peer
as Baron Gormley of Ashton-in-Makerfield in Greater Manchester
in the 1982 Birthday Honours
.
(a Government National Security agency, part of the police force) by passing on information on extremism within his own union. A former Special Branch officer made this allegation, saying Gormley did this because "he loved his country. He was a patriot and he was very wary and worried about the growth of militancy within his own union". According to the BBC reporter "Special Branch was talking to more than 20 senior trades union leaders during the early 1970s".
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(5 July 1917 – 27 May 1993) was President of the National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain) from 1971 to 1982, and a Labour peer.
Gormley was born in Ashton-in-Makerfield
Ashton-in-Makerfield
Ashton-in-Makerfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. It is situated south of Wigan, north-northwest of Warrington and west of the city of Manchester. In 2001 it had a population of 28,505....
, Lancashire in 1917, one of seven children, and became a miner at the age of fourteen. He was an active trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
official and became a committee member of National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in 1957. He served as general secretary of the North West
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
region (comprising Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
) from April 1961, and joined the national executive in 1963. He was a lifelong fan of Wigan Rugby League Football Club
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
.
1970s
In 1971, he was elected as leader of the NUM and presided over the national strike that began on 9 January 1972. The strike lasted for seven weeks and, after a month, caused widespread power cuts. Emergency measures were used to economise on electricity by reducing the working week to three days. After much negotiation the strike was resolved on 25 February 1972 with a 21% increase in pay and concessions won by the miners.Only two years later, NUM members voted again for to strike and stopped work on 4 February 1974. Prime Minister Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
called a snap election on this issue, asking the public to decide "Who governs Britain?". Gormley tried to persuade the National Executive Conference to postpone the strike until after any election, but this advice was not followed; the strike went ahead. After the election replaced the Tories with a Labour government, the union's demands were met. The new National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
"Plan for Coal" launched that year was extremely ambitious in its scope of expansion of the coal mining industry.
1980s
In 1981, Prime Minister Margaret ThatcherMargaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
threatened to break with the plan and close 23 pits. When a national strike was threatened, Thatcher backed down; many miners went on unofficial strike in the year, but Gormley rejected calls for a national strike. He left his post in 1982 and was replaced by the more left-wing Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill is a British politician who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers from 1982 to 2002, leading the union through the 1984–85 miners' strike, a key event in British labour and political history...
. In 1982 his last-minute appeal got miners to accept a Government offer of a 9.3 percent raise, rejecting Scargill's call for a strike authorisation. One of Gormley's long-term legacies which affected the 1984-85 strike was his role in the wage reforms of 1977. The reforms paid miners a wage proportionate to the output of their region. This gave the Nottinghamshire miners the highest wages of all and they were very reluctant to go on strike in 1984, when none of their pits was under threat and they had high wages to lose. Another key matter was that two ballots of the NUM membership had rejected these reforms, and Gormley responded by declaring productivity schemes now to be for the regional committees to decide, with or without a regional ballot. When this was challenged in the High Court as a violation of union rules, the court upheld Gormley's decision. This confusion over when the NUM needed to hold a ballot became of huge importance during the 1984-5 strike, when Scargill tried to mimic Gormley's methods and make a national strike into something on which regional committees could decide.
He was made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Gormley of Ashton-in-Makerfield in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
in the 1982 Birthday Honours
British honours system
The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories...
.
Special Branch
In 2002 the BBC uncovered that Gormley had worked for Special BranchSpecial Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
(a Government National Security agency, part of the police force) by passing on information on extremism within his own union. A former Special Branch officer made this allegation, saying Gormley did this because "he loved his country. He was a patriot and he was very wary and worried about the growth of militancy within his own union". According to the BBC reporter "Special Branch was talking to more than 20 senior trades union leaders during the early 1970s".