are in this town of Merthyr. The Dowalis works alone give employment to about 11,000 persons; Cyfarthfa about 5,000; and Plymouth about 5,000; and the amount paid weekly in wages rather exceeds rather than falls short of £20,000, of which one half is paid at the Dowlais office.The situation at present is most discouraging. Both sides manifest the greatest firmness in their determination not to yield. The workmen meet frequently to discuss their position, and neither colliers nor iron workers evidence the slightest inclination to abandon their demand for a court of arbitration or an unconditional withdrawal of the notice. The colliers are confident in the power of their organization to sustain them. The Iron workers have, however, no Union, and how they are going to abide the contest we do not know, and neither do they appear to know themselves. But they are not the less resolute, if we may be guided by the tone of their meeting, in their determination not to go to work at a reduction of wages.

“Merthyr Express” 8 February 1873
The Great Strike: Second Arrival of Strike Pay    A second installment of strike pay arrived on Friday last and amounted to between £7,000 and £8,000. All the “in benefit” members of the colliers union received the full allowance.   

“Merthyr Express” 8 March 1873
The Great Strike   The great strike is over. Work will begin on Monday.

Miner’s Wages

Great increases in Colliers Wages. 13¾% increase. Cardiff 10 May 1890. Announcement by Mon and South Wales Collieries Association that at a meeting of the Sliding Scale Joint Committee today at the Angel Hotel to receive the report of the Joint Accountants Messrs J C Kirk and Charles E Parsons on the result of their audit of the Coal Owners Books for the 3 months ending 31 March 1890 it was resolved that workmen’s wages in the associated collieries shall be 46% above the standard of December 1879 being an advance of 13 3/4% on and from 1 May 1890. Signed by W Gascoyne Dalziel and Lewis Miles on behalf of WT Lewis Chairman and 7 others and William Abraham (Mabon) and 9 others.

In 1913, the average earnings per day of underground workers, other than colliers, was 3s 6d (18p) or £1/1/0 (£1.08) a week. Colliers, on the other hand earned an average weekly wage of between £2/1/1(£2.06) and £2/3/0(£2.15p)

In 1918 the average weekly wage for colliers was £4/16/0 (£4.80), an increase of about 80% on the earnings in 1913.

During the last quarter of 1919, Fochriw Colliery produced 75,342 tons of coal at a cost of £77,515 in wages. This represented a cost per ton of £1/0/4 (£1.02)