Many of the steelworkers were sympathetic since that part of Lanarkshire had once been an active coalfield.
But Ravenscraig was known to be at risk of closure and the steelworkers insisted they had to accept coal to continue steel production; ceasing steel production risked permanent damage to Ravenscraig's furnaces and ovens.
Ravenscraig Steel Works in Motherwell was built by Colvilles Ltd to meet post-war demand for strip steel.
Molten iron was transferred from blast furnaces to steel furnaces, producing ingots that were then rolled into strips.
It was the symbol of Scotland's surviving heavy industry. It was also a vital pressure point.
If the miners' pickets could prevent coal and iron ore going in, they could bring steel production to a standstill.
Many of the steelworkers were sympathetic since that part of Lanarkshire had once been an active coalfield.
But Ravenscraig was known to be at risk of closure and the steelworkers insisted they had to accept coal to continue steel production; ceasing steel production risked permanent damage to Ravenscraig's furnaces and ovens.
Ravenscraig defied the miners and continued production of steel.
An army of picketing miners assembled at the gates.
It was bad enough for the miners that the steelworkers failed to support them but much worse was the way that coal was driven through picket lines by private contractors.
The convoys of Yuill and Dodds lorries bringing American coal up from the coast advertised defiance of the strike to everyone who saw them pass.
The steel works was the site of some of the most violent conflicts of the strike. Bottles, stones and missiles were thrown with both workers and police suffering many injuries. In May 1984, 300 picketing men were arrested in one day.
Video © Scottish Media Group. Ravenscraig plan and colour furnace image © RCAHMS. All other images © The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
