The thesis investigates productivity and its measurement in longwall hard coal mining, considering firstly the general state of the art. Productivity is defined, and the varying disciplinary approaches to it are critically compared. The state of productivity in practice is reviewed, leading to the concepts of total productivity. The facets of technological change and international comparison are scrutinized. A more specialised discussion is then introduced on the state of the art in underground coal mining. Weaknesses of the partial measure of labour productivity, as well as critical observations for improvements, are revealed. The subject is put into a technological and economic perspective, with special emphasis on mechanisation and safety. The inadequacies of international comparison to date are examined in order to construct a firm base for this study.