Misplaced Pages

#643356

49-785: The National Coal Board ( NCB ) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom . Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 , it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "vesting day", 1 January 1947. In 1987, the NCB was renamed the British Coal Corporation , and its assets were subsequently privatised. Collieries were taken under government control during

98-493: A transit district or special purpose corporations such as a university , are also created by statute. In some states, a city or county can be created by petition of a certain number or percentage of voters or landholders of the affected area, which then causes a municipal corporation to be chartered as a result of compliance with the appropriate law. Corporations to be established for most other purposes are usually just incorporated as any other non-profit corporation , by filing

147-496: A 27% pay rise, by saying that "we know of no other job in which there is such a combination of danger, health hazard, discomfort in working conditions, social inconvenience and community isolation." Mine workers held out for an extra £1 per week, but eventually settled for a package of "fringe benefits" worth a total of £10 million. The inadequacy of the government's response to the strike provoked re-evaluation of emergency planning. The Cabinet Office Briefing Room (known as COBR)

196-583: A catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip above the Welsh village of Aberfan , near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales caused the Aberfan disaster . The tip had been created on a mountain slope above the village and overlaid a natural spring. Heavy rain led to a build-up of water within the tip which caused it to suddenly slide downhill as a slurry, killing 116 children and 28 adults as it engulfed Pantglas Junior School and

245-518: A contributory factor in the 1984-85 miners' strike . The strike was one of the longest and most bitter in history and caused great suffering for the striking miners. During the strike, the NCB lost markets and 23 collieries had closed before the end of 1985. On 5 March 1987, the Coal Industry Act 1987 received royal assent, signalling the end of the NCB and the formation of its successor, the British Coal Corporation . On 21 October 1966,

294-419: A policy concentrating on the most productive pits. During his ten-year tenure, productivity increased by 70%, but with far fewer pits and a much reduced workforce. In 1956, 700,000 men produced 207 million tons of coal; by 1971, fewer than 290,000 workers were producing 133 million tons at 292 collieries. Despite this, the NCB's coal activities were still running at a loss in 1970, putting pressure on

343-536: A profit without one). Such bodies do not have shareholders , but are typically boards appointed by a sponsor minister. The provisions of the Companies' Acts do not typically directly apply to such bodies, although their founding legislation may specify similar requirements. The statutory corporation format was usually the form most state-sponsored bodies of the Republic of Ireland took until recent years; however,

392-778: A result of the enabling law. There are a number of federally chartered corporations that still exist. Some relatively famous ones include the Boy Scouts of America , each of the Federal Reserve Banks , and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation . The basic advantage for being federally chartered is that no other corporation anywhere in the United States is allowed to have the same name. 1972 United Kingdom miners%27 strike The 1972 United Kingdom miners' strike

441-567: A row of houses. The tip was the responsibility of the National Coal Board (NCB), and the subsequent inquiry placed the blame for the disaster on the organisation and nine named employees. The NCB's Coal Research Establishment (CRE) at Stoke Orchard in Gloucestershire was founded in 1950 with Jacob Bronowski as Director of Research. It closed following privatisation of the coal mining industry. The Stoke Orchard library

490-421: A secret project to gather hundreds of drivers to supply the country's power stations during the strike. A Royal Air Force base was to be used for the unit. They were to have between 400 and 600 trucks and drivers. Fire brigades were also contacted to provide off-duty staff and volunteer groups to cater for the coal convoys. The role of the volunteers was to drive in convoys to break the picketlines blocking

539-434: A wife and two children was approximately 22% above that of his male counterpart in manufacturing, that fell to approximately 2% below the manufacturing figure in 1969. During the 1950s, the wages of miners went up from a prewar position of 84th to near the top in the league table of the wages earned by industrial workers, and by 1960, miners' wages were 7.4% above the average pay of workers in manufacturing industries. During

SECTION 10

#1732771907644

588-574: Is a Kassenärztliche Vereinigung , a body involved in the provision of out-patient medical services in a German state. Other examples include public broadcasters, Jewish communities and Christian churches established in Germany and some public transport providers (depending on jurisdiction). In Hong Kong, some corporations are incorporated by legislation. An example is the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation , which owns

637-493: Is a body corporate created by the legislature with defined powers and functions and is financially independent with a clear control over a specified area or a particular type of commercial activity. It is a corporate person and has the capacity of acting in its own name. Statutory corporations therefore have the power of the government and the considerable amount of operating flexibility of private enterprises. A few are: Features: Which define its objectives, power and duties. It

686-622: Is created by a special law Of parliament. It may be established by the central government are also known as National corporations. In the Republic of Ireland , a statutory corporation is a body corporate, which is created under a particular Act of the Oireachtas . Some statutory corporations are expected to operate as if they were a commercial company (with or without a subsidy from the Exchequer , depending on whether or not it would make

735-471: Is not used to describe a company which operates as a conventional shareholder-owned company registered under the Companies Acts. A public body can have a variety of forms and is not inevitably a statutory corporation, nor is a statutory corporation necessarily a public body. At the state level, municipal corporations and counties are often created by legislative acts. Some organizations such as

784-678: The Australian Rail Track Corporation and the Australian Egg Corporation . The purpose of their separation from normal government operations is to ensure profitability, and in theory, independence of decision making from the state or national government (to ensure that decisions are made on a commercial basis with less or no political interference.) As statutory corporations, their regulatory and business conditions may be significantly different from private-sector companies. A significant number of

833-894: The Ffestiniog Railway , the Talyllyn Railway , the National Coal Board , Post Office Corporation and Transport for London . Other examples include the county councils , the National Assembly for Wales , the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Channel Four Television Corporation , and the Olympic Delivery Authority . Statutory corporations are widely used in education: Sixth Form College Corporations and Further Education Corporations,

882-567: The First and Second World Wars. The Sankey Commission in 1919 gave R. H. Tawney , Sidney Webb and Sir Leo Chiozza Money the opportunity to advocate nationalisation, but it was rejected. Coal reserves were nationalised during the war in 1942 and placed under the control of the Coal Commission , but the mining industry remained in private hands. At the time, many coal companies were small, although some consolidation had taken place in

931-798: The Food Safety Authority of Ireland . In the Netherlands , the term "public body" is the general denomination for administrative divisions within the Dutch state or certain other types of governmental organisations. In the United Kingdom , a statutory corporation is a corporate body created by statute . It typically has no shareholders and its powers are defined by the Act of Parliament which creates it, and may be modified by later legislation. Such bodies have often been created to provide public services, examples including British Railways ,

980-401: The 1960s, however, their pay fell behind other workers, and by 1970 miners were earning 3.1% less than the average worker in manufacturing. It was the first time since 1926 that British miners had officially gone on strike (although there had been unofficial strikes, as recently as 1969). During a parliamentary debate on the strike in its second week, both Labour and Conservative MPs praised

1029-762: The Coal Board - over and above the Wilberforce inquiry recommendations. Rank-and-file NUM miners agreed to the pay offer on 25 February, returning to work on 28 February, which officially ended the strike. The pay concessions from the Coal Board came more than a week after the Battle of Saltley Gate , when around 2,000 NUM pickets descended on a coke works in Birmingham and were later joined by thousands of workers from other industries in Birmingham. The result

SECTION 20

#1732771907644

1078-509: The English language as "statutory corporations" exist in the following countries in accordance with the associated descriptions (where provided). In Australia , statutory corporations are a type of statutory authority created by Acts of state or federal parliaments. A statutory corporation is defined in the federal Department of Finance 's glossary as a "statutory body that is a body corporate, including an entity created under section 87 of

1127-571: The NACODS members at Markham Main and Kilnhurst . Tom Swain , Labour MP to Derbyshire North East , remarked, "This could be the start of another Ulster in the Yorkshire coalfield." He threatened to "advocate violence" if an immediate government statement were not made on Matthews's death. The strike lasted seven weeks, with NUM leaders agreeing to a pay deal on 19 February, which the union claimed to have wrung about 15 extra pay concessions from

1176-629: The NCB employed nearly 800,000 workers which was four percent of Britain's total workforce. Its national headquarters were established in Hobart House, London. The formal duties of the National Coal Board (defined by section 1 of the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946) were: (a) working and getting the coal in Great Britain, to the exclusion of any other person; (b) securing the efficient development of

1225-560: The PGPA Act" (i.e. a statutory authority may also be a statutory corporation). An earlier definition describes a statutory corporation as "a statutory authority that is a body corporate", and the New South Wales Government 's Land Registry Services defines a state-owned corporation as "a statutory authority that has corporate status". Current statutory corporations include Australia Post , Airservices Australia ,

1274-445: The aftermath of the 1972 miners' strike envisaged that the coal industry would replace 40 million tons of obsolete capacity and ageing pits while maintaining its output. By 1983, the NCB would invest £3,000 million on developing new collieries. In 1984, it was alleged that the NCB had a list of collieries earmarked for closure and its chairman, Ian MacGregor indicated that the board was looking to reduce output by 4 million tons,

1323-456: The board to hold down pay increases. The strike occurred because wage negotiations between the NUM and the National Coal Board of the United Kingdom had broken down. In 1960, according to one study, "miners, of whom there were still half a million in 1960, enjoyed historically unprecedented standards of living." According to another study, while the real net income of an average miner in 1957 with

1372-399: The coal-mining industry; and (c) making supplies of coal available, of such qualities and sizes, in such quantities and at such prices, as may seem to them best calculated to further the public interest in all respects, including the avoidance of any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage. In 1947, about half the collieries were in need of immediate attention and a development programme

1421-493: The country read, "This colliery is now managed by the National Coal Board on behalf of the people". Opencast operations were taken over on 1 April 1952. The NCB acquired 958 collieries, the property of about 800 companies. Compensation of £164,660,000 was paid to the owners for the collieries and £78,457,000 to former owners and for other assets such as 55 coke ovens, 85 brickworks and 20 smokeless fuel plants. The collieries it had acquired varied considerably in size and output. Coal

1470-639: The end of the 1950s, and in 1957 the coal industry began to contract. Between 1958 and 1959, 85 collieries closed. In 1960, Alf Robens became the chairman of the NCB, and he introduced a policy concentrating on the most productive pits. During his ten-year tenure, productivity increased by 70%, but with far fewer pits and a much reduced workforce. In 1967, the NCB reorganised its structure into 17 new areas each employing about 20,000 men. In 1956, 700,000 men produced 207 million tons of coal; by 1971, fewer than 290,000 workers were producing 133 million tons at 292 collieries. The 1974 Plan of Coal produced in

1519-490: The entire national grid . A miner from Hatfield Colliery, near Doncaster , Freddie Matthews, was killed by a lorry while he was picketing on 3 February 1972, and a huge crowd attended his funeral. The non-union lorry driver had mounted the pavement to pass the picket line and struck Matthews in the process. In the aftermath of the death, the picketing in the Doncaster area became more violent, with clashes reported with

National Coal Board - Misplaced Pages Continue

1568-542: The legal form of Sixth Form Colleges and Further Education Colleges , as well as Higher Education Corporations, the legal form of most post-1992 universities , are all statutory corporations created under the Education Reform Act 1988 and the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 ; a small number of older universities are also statutory corporations created under specific acts of parliament. The phrase

1617-442: The mid 1970s, the activities of Coal Products Division were transferred to two new companies; National Smokeless Fuels Ltd and Thomas Ness Ltd, although they remained wholly owned by the NCB. In 1952, the NCB established a film unit. The board was keen to train its staff and new recruits and initiated a scheme to produce technical films as well as commissioning films from outside companies. More than nine hundred films were made before

1666-418: The miners accepted an improved pay offer in a ballot. It was the first time since 1926 that British miners had been on official strike, but there had been a widespread unofficial strike in 1969 . Competition from cheap oil imports arrived in the late 1950s and the coal industry began to suffer from increasing losses. In 1960 Alf Robens became the chairman of the National Coal Board (NCB), and he introduced

1715-497: The miners for the forbearance shown during the mass pit closures in the 1960s. Mine foremen and supervisors, represented by the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers , did not strike. Following some confrontations with NUM pickets, the National Coal Board adopted a policy of giving leave on full pay to any members of NACODS who faced aggressive intimidation on the way to work. The strike

1764-675: The paperwork with the appropriate agency as part of the formation of the entity. At the Federal level, a small number of corporations are created by Congress . Prior to the District of Columbia being granted the ability to issue corporate charters in the late 19th century, corporations operating in the District required a congressional charter . With limited exceptions, most corporations created by Congress are not federally chartered, but are simply created as District of Columbia corporations as

1813-693: The railway network and was previously also an operator. The MTR Corporation Limited was also such a company, then named as Mass Transit Railway Corporation. Other examples include the Ocean Park Corporation , and the former Industrial Estates Corporation and Land Development Corporation . Statutory corporations are government establishments brought into existence by a Special Act of the Parliament. The Act defines its powers and functions, rules and regulations governing its employees and its relationship with government departments. This

1862-556: The rationalisation of the NCB from 1985, the MRDE merged with the Mining Department. The NCB operated extensive industrial railway systems at its collieries, employing steam traction until autumn 1982 when Bold Colliery ended regular use of steam locomotives. NCB subsidiaries managed coal based chemical products (Coal Products Division) and the production of helmets and other mining equipment (Tredomen Engineering Ltd). In

1911-476: The statutory corporations are private commercial operations, a number of which have been privatised, in part or in whole, since the 1980s: these have included the national airline Qantas , Telstra (also previously known as Telecom Australia) and the Commonwealth Bank . A statutory corporation in Germany is called a Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts (KdöR). An example of a statutory corporation

1960-538: The supply of coal to the Scottish power plants. The plans were never put into place because the dispute was brought to a close. An inquiry into miners' pay, chaired by Lord Wilberforce , was set up by the government in February 1972, as the strike was drawing to a close. It reported a week later. It recommended pay increases of between £4.50 and £6 per week. Lord Wilberforce defended the increases, which represented

2009-496: The unit closed in 1984. The NCB was a major landlord , owning thousands of houses rented to miners and others involved in the industry. At the time of the 1984-85 miners strike, it owned around 170,000 houses of various ages. Shortly after this the government instructed the NCB to sell its stock of houses, some of which were bought by the miners or former miners, and others were sold to property speculators. Notes Bibliography Statutory corporation Bodies described in

National Coal Board - Misplaced Pages Continue

2058-507: The usual policy today is that a private limited company by shares or public limited company incorporated under the Companies' Acts is set up instead, with the relevant minister holding 100% of the issued share capital. Nonetheless, as of 2007 several prominent statutory corporations continue to exist, such as Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), the Electricity Supply Board (ESB), Bord Gáis Éireann , An Bord Pleanála ,

2107-399: The years before the war. The NCB was one of a number of public corporations created by Clement Attlee 's post-war Labour government to manage nationalised industries. The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 received royal assent on 12 July 1946 and the NCB was formally constituted on 15 July, with Lord Hyndley as its chairman. On 1 January 1947 a notice posted at every colliery in

2156-642: Was a major dispute over pay between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Conservative Edward Heath government of the United Kingdom . Miners' wages had not kept pace with those of other industrial workers since 1960. The strike began on 9 January 1972 and ended on 28 February 1972, when the miners returned to work. The strike was called by the National Executive Committee of the NUM and ended when

2205-478: Was begun. Between 1947 and 1956, the NCB spent more than £550 million on major improvements and new sinkings, much of it to mechanise the coal-getting process underground and by 1957 Britain's collieries were producing cheaper coal than anywhere in Europe. The Plan for Coal produced in 1950 aimed at increasing output from 184 million to 250 million tons by 1970. Competition from cheap oil imports arrived in

2254-613: Was characterised as a "victory for violence" by the Conservative Cabinet at the time, in reference to some clashes between miners and police and to some throwing of stones and bottles at lorries trying to pass the pickets. A volunteer force was planned in Scotland to break the miners' pickets during the strike. After release of government papers under the thirty-year rule , it has been revealed that civil servants , police, local authorities and other organisations worked on

2303-408: Was characterised by the miners sending flying pickets to other industrial sites to persuade other workers to strike in solidarity, which led to railway workers' refusing to transport coal and power station workers' refusing to handle coal. Power shortages emerged, and a state of emergency was declared on 9 February, after the weather had turned cold unexpectedly and voltage had been reduced across

2352-601: Was mined from seams that varied from 20 to 200 inches thick and the average pit produced 245,000 tons annually. More than a third of collieries produced less than 100,000 tons and 50 collieries produced more than 700,000 tons. The coal board divided the country into divisions, corresponding to the major coalfields, and each division was divided into areas with an output of approximately 4 million tons. The board also took over power stations at some collieries and railway sidings. It managed an estate of more than 140,000 houses and more than 200,000 acres of farmland. At its inception

2401-592: Was safeguarded after closure and is now held by the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers . The Mining Research and Development Establishment was formed in 1969 by merger of the Central Engineering Establishment and Mining Research Establishment to undertake research into and testing of mining equipment and procedures. It was based in Bretby, Derbyshire. Following

#643356