The strike began in support of Cortonwood Colliery, which was threatened with closure on 9th March 1984. By 15th March 1984, only 21 of 174 pits were working normally. There was no national ballot to strike, the strikes were rolled out area by area. There were many negotiations to reach a solution. At one point, there were only six weeks of coal stocks, and the government’s future was threatened. Plans for a settlement all failed. After nearly a year on strike miners started to drift back to work and the strike officially ended on 17th March 1985.