Sarah Jones - policing and crime minister, paid tribute to the campaigners, particularly the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign and the National Union of Mineworkers, saying their “tireless advocacy has brought us to this moment”. She said: “For more than four decades, miners, their families and their communities have lived with unanswered questions about what happened at Orgreave. Today we have delivered on our promise to these tireless campaigners to ensure the facts finally come to light. The terms of the inquiry have been shaped by the chair’s close engagement with campaigners, and they place transparency at the very heart of the panel’s work. I am confident that they will bring the independence, expertise and balance needed to uncover the truth of what happened, however difficult that truth may be.”
Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “This year marks 42 years since the brutal events at Orgreave. Those striking miners were simply trying to save their jobs and communities. They were charged at, bludgeoned by police in riot gear and with truncheons, stampeded with horses and herded by dogs.
“Many of the miners were left with physical and psychological problems that exist to this day. Many lost their jobs and their marriages and all of them were left with a sense of grievance at their unjust treatment that still haunts them.
“Until today, justice has been denied because there has not been an inquiry into the actions of the police. It is welcome that the Government has now launched the inquiry, having approved the terms of reference and confirmed the panel to support the chair, after the Home Secretary announced it last year. It is essential that the truth is established and that the police are brought to account.
“We congratulate the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign on their victory and we are proud to have supported theirs and the NUM’s persistent and principled campaign. This is important, not only in fighting for justice for the Orgreave miners, but in standing up for the right to protest.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest with around 370,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also represents many workers in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion