Industrial Relations

Papers of the Industrial Relations Department of the National Coal Board and the British Coal Corporation, comprising papers concerning industrial disputes, predominantly focussing on the 1984-1985 Miners' Strike, but also including some papers concerning industrial action in the 1970s. Also includes papers relating to manpower and welfare, namely files concerning the effects of colliery closures and the provision of pithead baths at Cwm colliery. Further papers within this series include work and pay agreements for work at Penallta Colliery, minutes of meetings with the National Union of Mineworkers concerning Tower Colliery and pneumoconiosis and silicosis registers.

The Industrial Relations Department of the National Coal Board was formed in the later 1950s by fusing the Labour Relations Department and part of the Manpower and Welfare Department, the educational functions of the latter being passed to the Staff Department. The Industrial Relations Department and its predecessors dealt with all aspects of management of the large industrial workforce employed by the NCB, including manpower, welfare, conciliation in trade disputes, wages and conditions of service, insurance, industrial diseases and miners' pensions. In 1952 the NCB inherited a number of welfare functions from the Miners' Welfare Commission, which passed to this department. It was also responsible for pensions and insurance centres.

[Information taken from The National Archive Catalogue, COAL 26, accessed 30 May 2017.]

This subfonds is made up of material brought together from different accessions deposited by the National Coal Board and the British Coal Corporation. One item (DNCB/3/3/2) was deposited by Big Pit Museum in 1989. This subfonds has been brought together from the following accessions: DNCB/23 (acc. no: U1966/2140) DNCB/67 (no accession number identified) 1989/4 The previous reference number for each item is listed in its individual catalogue entry.