FROM MINE TO FACTORY? THE SOCIAL MANAGEMENT OF THE DECLINE OF THE LORRAINE COAL COLLIERIES (1960-2004)

Abstract

Between the first reconversion plan developed in 1960 and their eventual closure in 2004, the coal mines in Lorraine experienced four decades of gradual decline at different paces. They benefited from the vigilance of trade unions, a protected status since 1946 and a nationalized employer. As a result, the workers of the Houillères du Bassin de Lorraine, like those of other French state-owned coal mines, were offered professional reconversion opportunities and early retirement conditions that were particularly advantageous in comparison with other sectors of French industry that suffered massive redundancies, especially after the oil crises. Nonetheless, the decline and disappearance of mining has left the territory and its population disoriented. They have lost their original activities, whereas the landscapes and urban spaces in the region continue to reflect this heritage.