The week's pay packet for this Snibston miner in 1965 was 10 pounds, 3 shillings and 6 pence. The equivalent of around 120pounds in 2004.
A miner's wage was traditionally linked to his productivity. In 1966, however, the National Union of Miners agreed to operate the National Power Loading Agreement, and, as further improvements in mechanisation increased productivity, miners' wages started to fall.
In the late 1960s, against the background of a shrinking industry, many miners left their collieries for better paid occupations. Those that stayed were out on strike by 1972 for a fairer day's wage.
