Made at the end of the Miners' Strike, this film features women from the Kiveton Park mining village in South Yorkshire. Through first-hand interviews, the documentary examines the women’s role in the strike and political understanding they gained through this activism. The women discuss the lack of employment opportunity available, issues such as the right to work, job satisfaction, and equal pay, and working rights which extend to all women. Title: During the Miners’ Strike we...

Made at the end of the Miners' Strike, this film features women from the Kiveton Park mining village in South Yorkshire. Through first-hand interviews, the documentary examines the women’s role in the strike and political understanding they gained through this activism. The women discuss the lack of employment opportunity available, issues such as the right to work, job satisfaction, and equal pay, and working rights which extend to all women. Title: During the Miners’ Strike we made a campaign tape with the people of Kiveton Park, South Yorks. We went back two months after the strike Title: This tape is a result of several visits and discussions with the women. The strike had ended but the way it changed people's lives and left them feeling continues From the hill surrounding it Kiveton Park in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire below changes to a phantom car ride the village. In voice-over a woman talks about moving to the village, what it was like to live there and the importance of the local pit. Still images of Kiveton Park Colliery and a coal train passing through the village. Title: Hidden Energy A line of policemen watches as a convoy of wagons drives past, nearby a line of women shouting at the drivers. Men women and children march through a village, some carry banners that reads ‘South Wales Women Support the N.U.M.’. A boy holds up another to the camera that reads ‘Thatcher Pays Police to Starve Kids’. A montage of images showing women protesting during the Miner’s Strike, some being arrested. In a local community hall, a discussion between a group of women from Kiveton Park begins with how the first became involved in the protest and the importance of outside help to survive. In another room a different group of women two of whom make contributions to the discussion about the strike. One woman knew nothing other than being a housewife before the strike, another woman hadn’t left the village in many years. They talk about how husbands got to see what life was like dealing with babies and small children and how hard this work was while the women were out protesting. As the women talk a mixture of photographs and moving images to help illustrate some of the points being made. Outside two women sitting on a wall, one states that women are more determined than men, if the women had been in charge they wouldn’t have gone back to work. Another phantom car ride through the village changes back to the community hall seen previously and the women their continuing their discussion group. One-woman laments that some women have ‘dropped off and gone back to the sink’, she believes the country needs a revolution. They talk about Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher whom they believe wants to destroy the working class and is determined to get nuclear power. The woman who advocates revolution use to see those protesting at Greenham Common and foolish, not now. From the hills surrounding it Kiveton Park in the valley below returns to one of the women taking about hers and the other women’s relationship with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). She explains that once the strike was over, they were told to become self-sufficient, they were out on a limp. She doesn’t hold it against the union as they have their own issues to deal with, she also knows that the union knew the importance and value of women during the strike. A couple sit on a sofa together, the woman does all the talking. She believes it is the right of everyman to work, a miner’s job isn’t just a job it is a community and his children’s future. She believes that his wife and daughter have equal rights and she want to see parity in the NUM. However, she believes those at top levels are chauvinists and what they will come up with would tokenism which isn’t acceptable. A second women sitting in another room makes similar comments with regards what happened to the women both during and at the end of the strike and the NUM moving away from the women’s support to focus their attention on dealing with the men return to work. Again, she understands the situation. At Kiveton Park Colliery miners walk back and forth across a roadway changes to a woman talking about how her husband and other men in the community are beginning to realise that many of their wives are continuing to work with their action group even after the strike. She believes if women don’t keep fighting then it would have been a waste of a year. As she speaks archive of women getting on a bus heading to a protest and singing songs during the journey. A large police presence at a protest with several women strikers being carried or led away. In a supermarket food items going through the checkout. In voice-over a woman talks about being in debt because of the strike and what she and her husband are doing it to pay it off. Over shots of women at work in the home the woman seen with her husband talks about a discussion she had with miners about low wages paid to women and that they became ‘incensed’. She goes on to talk about how during the strike many families were living on the wages of the wives, the limited opportunities of work for women and that with husband spending more time at home while their wives were out on the picket lines men were learning first-hand how hard housework is. She finishes by saying that she was hoping since the end of the strike the issue of women’s low pay would be look at seriously, but nothing has been said about it. As she speaks women doing housework and another pushing a pushchair into a local Job Centre. Women coming out of a factory changes to some of the other women in the group talking about issues if employment and low wages. One woman says she is a member of a union at where she works, but few others are as they don’t see the benefits. Outside E.T. Sutherland & Sons PLC factory a group of women stand chatting. The two women sitting in the wall talk about efforts to get union representation from the Transporter and General Works Union at Sutherland’s. They talk about why this failed as the company wouldn’t recognise the union and the apathy of many of the other women working there. Back with one of the discussion groups a woman states that women should start their own union, it’s the only way they are going to get anywhere, she explains why. Still images of council houses around Kiveton Park, inside the community centre women hold a coffee morning with cakes being served and money raised being counted. In voice-over a woman talks about getting in contact with other women’s action groups, to find out what they are doing and swap ideas. Many of the women featured in the film talk about how they would like to see their action group move forward. The two women sitting on the wall talk about joining the Labour party, but are not quite ready to do so, they explain why. Back with one of the discussion groups one of the women comments about how hard women work and suffer getting little results. She now sees women’s groups around the world fight for people rights. Another woman comments about how many miners’ children have supported striking teachers, an effect of the miner’s strike. Another believe women should stick together as the harassment they’ve seen could easy happen again, so they need to be ready. In a large auditorium during the Miner’s Strike women, many with banners, sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. Title: The women of Kiveton Park employed at Sutherlands’ factory recently took strike action in order to further their case for union recognition. They were supported by N.U.M. members Title: The management are now in the process of considering these demands Title: Many thanks to the women of Kiveton Park especially Ann, Chris, Jenny , Stella and Sylvia Title: Thanks for material from Chapter Arts, (S. Wales Womens Film Group), Chris McKenzie Title: Thanks to St Martins School of Arts and Active Image for equipment, Island Arts and Albany Video for editing facilities Credit: Music Zuni Luni and Miriam Ludbrook This tape was made by Emma Black, Sally Fonseca, Sheila Gillie, Vicky Grut, Ginnie Heath, Jennifer Holland End title: A Biased Tape / Striking Video Production 1985