Tyneside Irish Centre, 7. 30 p.m. Friday 3rd July 2015 Gallowgate, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Speakers include:
Shane Enright, Trade Union Campaigns Manager, Amnesty International UK
Peter Sagar, A Living Tradition CIC
David Hopper from the Durham Miners Association
With great music entertainment from the North east’s premier Rhythm and Blues and Soul group The Smokin’ Spitfires
For more information contact Peter Sagar at peter0462@gmail.com
For more about The Pitmen’s Great Stand go to http://www.alivingtradition.org/uploads/1/1/3/8/11381120/1765.pdf
ALL ENTERTAINMENT AND FOOD FREE!!
The Pitmen’s Great Stand 1765 followed an earlier strike in 1731, which was one of the 
first industrial strikes in the world. . The earlier strike saw miners coming together from across the coalfield helping to forge a common Northeast identity based on the values of solidarity and fairness. . The pitmen went on strike in 1765 against the bond system which prevented from moving to safer pits where they could get better pay, until the end of the year. . The strike ended in a stand-off. The pitmen had to accept the bond, but had shown that their collective power could be used and it set down an important marker for future struggles, when the trade union movement really began to grow in the 19th century and eventually the bond system was overthrown.
