Managing industrial decline: the lessons of a decade of research on industrial contraction and regeneration in Britain and other EU coal producing countries

Abstract

This paper draws on an ongoing 10 year research programme into the social impact of industrial contraction and regeneration on mining communities. Though focusing primarily on the consequences of rationalisation and regeneration for British mining communities, the paper also alludes to the impact of recent policies in Belgium, Germany and Spain. The insights deriving from this research are offered as useful lessons for policymakers in Central and Eastern European countries where similar reductions in mining capacity appear imminent. The potentially negative effects of job loss and employment insecurity on working and former miners and their families are highlighted, emphasising how the decimation of the UK coal industry and its recent privatisation has produced widespread trade union exclusion and marginalisation, while arousing growing concerns for the health and safety of employees. Regeneration strategies in the UK are compared with those implemented by its Western European neighbours. Such a comparison underlines the need for coherent and well integrated policies, backed up by sustained long term funding.