0:00:03 > 0:00:06The miners' strike of 1984.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10A long and bitter dispute which divided communities.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Those who crossed the picket line...
0:00:17 > 0:00:20..faced the wrath of the local community.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Breaking the strike meant letting down colleagues...
0:00:24 > 0:00:27..and losing friends forever.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Tonight, for the first time in 30 years, one who returned to work...
0:00:37 > 0:00:40..speaks bluntly about his experiences.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43I didn't expect it to be so difficult.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46I was afraid of what would happen next.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52For those who stayed loyal to the strike, there's no forgiveness...
0:00:52 > 0:00:54..even today, for the strikebreakers.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57There are people I still won't talk to.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01And there are people I'd cross the road to avoid talking to...
0:01:01 > 0:01:04..or avoid looking at their faces.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07The strike got the better of some.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11The strain became overwhelming and life wasn't worth living.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Gethin wasn't Gethin.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Did he change?
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Yes.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Three decades after the strike in one of the South Wales valleys...
0:01:24 > 0:01:26..the scars of 1984 remain deep...
0:01:26 > 0:01:29..and the shadow lingers on over Cynheidre.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Pontyberem, the Gwendraeth Valley, Carmarthenshire.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57A village which is home to almost 3,000 people...
0:01:57 > 0:02:01..but few of those still work in their local communities.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05It was a different story in 1984.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08These housing estates were home to dozens of miners.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13In 2014, a father and son and two former colliers...
0:02:13 > 0:02:17..Malcolm and Terry Davies, still live on Ffordd Aneurin.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20But they no longer work in the coal industry.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Life and the area have changed.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28There's unemployment in the area because everything just shrank.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32And everything has become alien.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37In those days, you knew everyone who worked on site with you.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40I count this as a site - the council...
0:02:40 > 0:02:45..or the village of Pontyberem, everyone knew each other.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51In 1984, Malcolm and Terry both worked at Cynheidre Colliery.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54The father was part of the rescue team...
0:02:54 > 0:02:58..and the son was a member of the NUM committee.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Workers came to Cynheidre from the Llanelli area...
0:03:03 > 0:03:08..from Gower, Carmarthen, Llanpumsaint - everywhere.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13I have fond memories, stories and fits of laughter...
0:03:14 > 0:03:16..which are just wonderful.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19You don't get that these days.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24But in March 1984, the laughter came to an end.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Amid fears that the government would close pits across Britain...
0:03:28 > 0:03:33..the NUM decided to make a stand and go on strike.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38In Cynheidre, the majority of the workforce of 1,300...
0:03:38 > 0:03:40..supported the strike.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44We had to fight for our livelihoods...
0:03:44 > 0:03:47..or we would have been trampled over.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49What then?
0:03:53 > 0:03:58This memorial talks about the valley uniting as a family...
0:03:58 > 0:04:01..during times of tragedy and disaster.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05But the miners' strike put a different sort of strain...
0:04:05 > 0:04:07..on this familial community.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13As the strike continued, things went from bad to worse financially.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Things were tight and making ends meet was a huge struggle.
0:04:17 > 0:04:23The community helped and food and clothes parcels were distributed.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28But some miners still had doubts over whether the strike was wise.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32In Cynheidre, after 10 weeks without an income...
0:04:32 > 0:04:34..some wanted to return to work.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38REPORTER: Do you want to go back to work?
0:04:38 > 0:04:43Yes. We don't see how we can win. They won't sit around the table.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46We feel that we've lost.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Philip Jones worked as a loco driver in Cynheidre in 1984.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56He was 34 and a member of the NUM.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Three decades on, Philip Jones still lives in Pontyberem.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05His life has changed since the strike...
0:05:05 > 0:05:09..and he's had to leave the valley to find work.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13For almost 25 years, he's worked at a supermarket in Carmarthen...
0:05:13 > 0:05:16..stocking shelves.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Despite joining the strike in 1984...
0:05:19 > 0:05:23..he disagreed with the industrial action from the start.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26We went to work one night...
0:05:27 > 0:05:31..and we couldn't get in because there were pickets there.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Well, in my view...
0:05:35 > 0:05:39..if the strike was lawful, we wouldn't need pickets...
0:05:39 > 0:05:42..because no-one would go in.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46But we didn't need pickets to come from other mines...
0:05:46 > 0:05:49..to stop us going to work.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53In November 1984, after eight months on strike...
0:05:53 > 0:05:57..Philip Jones was one of the leaders of a group...
0:05:57 > 0:06:00..which crossed the picket line and returned to work.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03It wasn't a very nice feeling...
0:06:03 > 0:06:08..when the police picked up your children and took them to school.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11It wasn't nice.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15I'm not saying I'm proud...
0:06:15 > 0:06:18..of what I did...
0:06:19 > 0:06:23..but, at the end of the day, they didn't give us a choice.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29For those still on strike, seeing colleagues who were once friends...
0:06:29 > 0:06:33..abandon the strike and being paid made them feel betrayed.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Although those who returned were expecting trouble...
0:06:39 > 0:06:43..one claims that some reacted disgracefully.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Around a dozen women...
0:06:47 > 0:06:50..broke into our lockers...
0:06:50 > 0:06:55..and they urinated and defecated in our lockers.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58To me, that was disgraceful.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Disgraceful.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02They were pigs.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Those who returned to work were called 'scabs'.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Miners at Cynheidre made up 90% of those...
0:07:10 > 0:07:13..who crossed the picket line in South Wales.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18For Philip Jones, his home became a haven and a prison...
0:07:18 > 0:07:19..at the same time.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24Did you go out?
0:07:21 > 0:07:24No. There was no point.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30You had 'scab' written on the wall outside the house.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34But, erm... who cares about that?
0:07:36 > 0:07:39You could live with that?
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Yes, I could.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43But it wasn't just the miner who was targeted.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47One of the girls had problems at school - the oldest.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52Those who supported the strike had children in the same school.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56They pushed her up against the wall and said...
0:07:56 > 0:07:59.."Your dad's a scab and you're a scab."
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Well, she was nine years old and didn't understand.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07She came in tears and didn't want to go back.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Philip Jones and his colleagues who broke the strike...
0:08:14 > 0:08:17..needed the police's help to get to work every day.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21There was no love lost between them on the picket line.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26They should expect the same welcome from the pickets.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Around a quarter of them here this morning were from Cynheidre.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35The rest are from local mines. They feel as strongly as we do.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38They can expect the same welcome from us...
0:08:38 > 0:08:41..but I don't think they'll have the nerve to turn up.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Dorian Davies was a young miner in his 20s during the strike.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51He was fully behind the action.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Unity is important in any industry.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Maybe less so today, but in those days...
0:08:58 > 0:09:01..in the sort of industry we worked in...
0:09:01 > 0:09:04..unity was absolutely vital...
0:09:04 > 0:09:09..to secure working conditions which were acceptable to all.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Today, Dorian Davies holds driving courses...
0:09:14 > 0:09:17..for people who've been caught speeding.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20For those who backed the strike...
0:09:20 > 0:09:23..he says the years since have not been easy.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29I think many of us still feel the affects of that strike.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34In our hearts, in our heads but also financially.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Think about it, as I said, a year without a salary.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42We had to go into debt...
0:09:42 > 0:09:44..in order to survive.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48To a degree, people are still paying for that.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54For over a decade, Howard Watkins has been retired from his work...
0:09:54 > 0:09:58..as a driver for a government transport agency.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00In 1984, he worked at Cynheidre.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04After eight months on strike he decided that enough was enough.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07But by crossing the picket line...
0:10:07 > 0:10:11..he angered colleagues who were still on strike.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17I came home from work one day and I lived here at the time...
0:10:17 > 0:10:21..and there must've been around 102 pickets outside the house.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Outside your house?
0:10:23 > 0:10:27There was a field on the other side and they were in there.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33They left a board behind which said "Welsh scab."
0:10:33 > 0:10:35That's what it said.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38I had an Alsatian at the time.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42If I'd let him out, he would have gone at them.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45He was angry... really angry.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51Howard Watkins had the full support of his wife in returning to work.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Despite his colleagues' anger...
0:10:54 > 0:10:57..she says her husband did the right thing.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02I'm glad we made a stand.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Had you let people down?
0:11:02 > 0:11:06They were foolish to go without pay.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10I'd rather be behind Maggie Thatcher than Scargill.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Those who broke the strike in Cynheidre had fears...
0:11:15 > 0:11:19..that NUM leader Arthur Scargill was trying to mislead them.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24They felt he was exaggerating the threat to the future of the mines.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26It's quiet in Pontyberem today...
0:11:26 > 0:11:31..unlike when I was here on January 7th 1985.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34This hall was full and the miners had gathered...
0:11:34 > 0:11:38..to listen to Arthur Scargill at the height of the strike.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Hundreds of miners gathered to listen to their leader.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Almost 90 workers had returned to Cynheidre by the start of 1985...
0:11:48 > 0:11:53..and Scargill wanted to make sure the strike didn't sway any further.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Now is the time to negotiate a settlement of this dispute.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01To recognise the depth of feeling on the part of the miners.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04One of the miners at the meeting was Alan Jones...
0:12:04 > 0:12:08..or Alan 'Tal' as he was known by colleagues at Cynheidre.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12We're a small community in the village and it was difficult...
0:12:12 > 0:12:15..and not just for the miners.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Everyone felt it.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20It trickled down to the shops.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23That's what everyone was talking about.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26"So-and-so has gone back to work."
0:12:26 > 0:12:30It affected the whole community.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Pontyberem is home to the first Menter Iaith set up in Wales...
0:12:34 > 0:12:36..Menter Cwm Gwendraeth.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40It's where Alan Jones works now as an IT officer.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44He had to retrain after losing his job following the strike.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48A lot has changed in the community.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52It's not as close as it used to be years ago.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55If you're lucky enough to have a job...
0:12:55 > 0:12:59..you have to travel to Llanelli and Swansea...
0:13:00 > 0:13:02..or even further for some.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06But there's not much work available in the valley.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10- MINERS CHANT: - Here we go, here we go!
0:13:10 > 0:13:12After a year-long strike...
0:13:12 > 0:13:16..the miners went back to work in March 1985...
0:13:16 > 0:13:19..having lost the battle and a year's salary.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23After the break, we'll hear more about the scars of the strike...
0:13:24 > 0:13:27..and how its shadow still lingers today.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Once you have a scar...
0:13:29 > 0:13:33..it never goes anywhere.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37That scar might be there...
0:13:37 > 0:13:41..as the English say, until my dying day.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45And we'll hear about the heartbreak of one woman...
0:13:45 > 0:13:48..who says the strike led to a personal tragedy.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51It was very stressful some days.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54There was a lot of crying.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09Cynheidre in the Gwendraeth Valley, 2014.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14The traces of the mine which was once central to the community...
0:14:14 > 0:14:15..have disappeared.
0:14:17 > 0:14:23In November 1984, 17 men crossed the picket line in Cynheidre...
0:14:23 > 0:14:27..and over the following weeks, around 70 returned to work.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32But they were a minority in an area which supported the strike.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38People have long memories in the mining villages behind me...
0:14:38 > 0:14:40..and forgiveness is short...
0:14:40 > 0:14:43..especially when you're talking about 'scabs'.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48Even 30 years after the strike, some people have told us...
0:14:48 > 0:14:53..when they see someone who broke the strike, they cross the road.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58When Arthur Scargill came to Pontyberem...
0:14:58 > 0:15:02..Malcolm Howells was vice chairman of the NUM committee at Cynheidre.
0:15:03 > 0:15:0430 years later...
0:15:05 > 0:15:08..he has nothing to say to colleagues who broke the strike.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12When I go to funerals and so on, it's very difficult...
0:15:12 > 0:15:16..when you pass a colleague and you can't say anything.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18You still feel that way?
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Oh, yes. It's in the blood.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24I'd say it's in the blood. It's very difficult.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30The ex-union official believes 'scab' is a label...
0:15:30 > 0:15:34..that will stay with those who crossed the picket line forever.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Even as children, they'd say "He was a scab."
0:15:39 > 0:15:42You'd think, "What's a scab?"
0:15:42 > 0:15:45As you get older you understand.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Well, it's been 30 years now.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52The same name was used and it's still used.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Philip Jones and his wife Enys still notice how the strike...
0:15:56 > 0:15:59..shapes people's attitudes.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Before the strike, people spoke to you...
0:16:02 > 0:16:06..but after the strike they didn't look at you.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08It didn't bother me...
0:16:08 > 0:16:12..because I just got on with my life.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16I had two children to look after and the husband was working...
0:16:16 > 0:16:20..so we had money coming in and we could get on with our lives.
0:16:20 > 0:16:26A week before the strike, the couple signed to buy a house...
0:16:26 > 0:16:29..and were hoping to leave their council house.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32But with the strike, they lost all their savings.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37The ex-miner says he had no choice but to return to work.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40I had to look after myself and my family.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45If you don't look after the family...
0:16:45 > 0:16:49..what's the point of camaraderie?
0:16:49 > 0:16:50You know?
0:16:50 > 0:16:54You can be friends and go back to work.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59That person doesn't change at all.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02The other person changes...
0:17:02 > 0:17:06..because this person has done something...
0:17:06 > 0:17:08..they don't think is right.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Some miners who stayed on the picket line...
0:17:14 > 0:17:17..still feel that the strikebreakers betrayed them.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21With the sort of work you do underground...
0:17:21 > 0:17:26..you have to be able to rely on the people you work with.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28To trust them.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33You've got to have that before you can feel safe at work.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39Thinking of going back to work with people who broke that agreement...
0:17:39 > 0:17:42..was heartbreaking.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45The anger continues today.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48There are people I still won't talk to.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53And there are people I'd cross the road to avoid talking to...
0:17:53 > 0:17:55..or avoid looking at their faces.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Dorian Davies lived in Tumble during the strike.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Dozens of Cynheidre miners lived in the village.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08There was a strong community spirit in the area.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12But for those who were on strike it was a difficult year.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16June Brown's husband worked at Cynheidre.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20It's lucky we were around here. We were all together.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24If someone didn't have something, we all helped, and that was it.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29In many mining homes, the uncertainty created tension.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Oh, it was often a strain.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35There was a lot of crying.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39I can imagine, because you didn't know what to expect.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43No.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Gethin Brown was June's husband.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Aged 52 and a father to a young daughter...
0:18:49 > 0:18:53..the strike left its mark on him, according to his wife.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Gethin wasn't Gethin.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Did he change?
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Yes.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04He'd say a few things if I asked him...
0:19:04 > 0:19:06..but he didn't say much.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12In May 1986, the police discovered Gethin Brown's body...
0:19:12 > 0:19:14..in a lake in Llanelli.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19His widow believes she wouldn't have lost him if it wasn't for...
0:19:19 > 0:19:23..the strike and questions the value of the dispute.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Do you ask that often?
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Yes.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31If there are things I can't do...
0:19:31 > 0:19:34..I call him all kinds of things.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44The beginning of March 1985...
0:19:44 > 0:19:49..almost a year after the dispute started, the strike came to an end.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52The miners returned to work but the battle had been lost.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56When they came back a year later...
0:19:56 > 0:20:01..they said they were coming back with their heads held high.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03But their heads weren't high.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Their heads had dropped.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10EXPLOSION
0:20:15 > 0:20:18The battle to secure the future of Cynheidre was also lost.
0:20:18 > 0:20:23In 1989 the pit was closed and the iconic towers were demolished.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28At 53 years of age, people like Malcolm Davies...
0:20:28 > 0:20:30..also lost any hope of finding work.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34I was trying to find somewhere to work.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I was prepared to do anything.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40I was confident I'd find something but nothing materialised.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56It was the end of the line for many generations of ex-miners...
0:20:56 > 0:21:00..and many believe those who crossed the picket line...
0:21:00 > 0:21:04..contributed to the death of an industry which sustained...
0:21:04 > 0:21:07..the area for over a century.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11We tried to persuade them not to go but they were determined to go.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15I feel strongly about what they did to the industry.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17They were to blame.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21What you did was help the government...
0:21:21 > 0:21:24..to break the spirit of the worker in Wales...
0:21:24 > 0:21:27..break the spirit of the unions...
0:21:27 > 0:21:30..break the spirit of the industry.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34You destroyed the future for Welsh communities.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40If you and the others had stayed out...
0:21:40 > 0:21:44..some would argue that the coal mines might still be open.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Maybe you were part of the reason they closed.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48Not at all.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51No-one gained anything.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55After a year-long strike, no-one gained anything.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Every worker lost out.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01They lost a year's pay.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03For what?
0:22:05 > 0:22:09In terms of work, the years since Cynheidre closed have been bleak.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14The average household income in Pontyberem today...
0:22:14 > 0:22:17..is around £22,000 - almost a thousand less...
0:22:17 > 0:22:21..than the average for Carmarthenshire.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Since the strike, no major employer has come to the area...
0:22:25 > 0:22:30..to replace the coal mines and a significant gap has been left.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33The scars of '84 are still there.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35The scars will never go.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Once you have a scar...
0:22:40 > 0:22:43..it doesn't go anywhere.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48The scar might be there...
0:22:48 > 0:22:52..as the English say, until my dying day.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57There's no doubt one or two will say, "Good riddance."
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Each to their own.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08There are few traces of the existence of Cynheidre today.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12But the fight over the future of the pit...
0:23:12 > 0:23:17..was worth fighting, according to many who stood on the picket line.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Believe it or not, there is some pride in the fact...
0:23:21 > 0:23:25..that we stood up for what we believed in...
0:23:25 > 0:23:27..and fought for it.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32We lost but we have that feeling that we made the effort...
0:23:32 > 0:23:36..to fight for our future, our families, our country if you wish.
0:23:39 > 0:23:4230 years after the strike...
0:23:42 > 0:23:45..Cynheidre is just a distant memory.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Isn't it time to bury the past, reconcile...
0:23:49 > 0:23:51..and forgive?
0:23:51 > 0:23:55For some things there is no forgiveness... ever.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:24:27 > 0:24:27.