South Wales coal miners walk out over closure plan

February 18, 1981

Coal miners in South Wales struck Tuesday and urged the rest of Britain's 230 ,000 miners to join them in a national walkout in an attempt to reverse government plans to close uneconomic pits. The threat of a national miners' strike presents the Conservative government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher with its biggest challenge since it came to power 21 months ago, commentators said.